Invesco Ltd. Buys 22,876 Shares of Ashland Inc. (NYSE:ASH)

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Invesco Ltd. lifted its position in Ashland Inc. (NYSE:ASH – Free Report) by 6.4% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 379,113 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after purchasing an additional 22,876 shares during the quarter. Invesco Ltd. owned about 0.80% [...]

Invesco Ltd. lifted its position in Ashland Inc. ( NYSE:ASH – Free Report ) by 6.

4% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 379,113 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after purchasing an additional 22,876 shares during the quarter. Invesco Ltd.



owned about 0.80% of Ashland worth $27,091,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period. Other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company.

Vanguard Group Inc. raised its position in shares of Ashland by 1.4% during the 4th quarter.

Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 4,928,924 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $352,221,000 after buying an additional 66,530 shares in the last quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co.

MA raised its position in Ashland by 8.0% during the fourth quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co.

MA now owns 2,806,922 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $200,583,000 after purchasing an additional 208,320 shares during the period. Pacer Advisors Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Ashland by 16.

1% in the 4th quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. now owns 1,022,580 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $73,074,000 after purchasing an additional 142,121 shares during the last quarter.

Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Ashland by 0.3% in the 3rd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 827,642 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $72,000,000 after purchasing an additional 2,316 shares during the period.

Finally, Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. increased its position in shares of Ashland by 3.9% during the 4th quarter.

Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 702,561 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $50,205,000 after purchasing an additional 26,267 shares during the last quarter. 93.

95% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors. Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades A number of brokerages recently issued reports on ASH. UBS Group lowered their price target on Ashland from $95.

00 to $93.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, January 29th. StockNews.

com cut shares of Ashland from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 6th. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price objective on shares of Ashland from $69.00 to $58.

00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, April 9th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upgraded Ashland from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating and boosted their target price for the company from $68.

00 to $71.00 in a research report on Wednesday, March 26th. Finally, Seaport Res Ptn downgraded Ashland from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, March 5th.

Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $73.20.

Ashland Price Performance Ashland stock opened at $50.45 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $2.

38 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -76.44, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.14 and a beta of 0.

70. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $57.20 and a two-hundred day moving average of $69.

67. Ashland Inc. has a 1 year low of $45.

21 and a 1 year high of $102.50. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.

51, a current ratio of 2.52 and a quick ratio of 1.27.

Ashland ( NYSE:ASH – Get Free Report ) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, January 28th. The basic materials company reported $0.28 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.

79 by ($0.51). Ashland had a negative net margin of 1.

12% and a positive return on equity of 7.41%. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $0.

45 earnings per share. On average, research analysts forecast that Ashland Inc. will post 4.

27 earnings per share for the current year. Ashland Dividend Announcement The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Saturday, March 15th. Investors of record on Saturday, March 1st were issued a $0.

405 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 28th. This represents a $1.

62 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.21%. Ashland’s payout ratio is currently -245.

45%. Insider Buying and Selling In related news, CEO Guillermo Novo bought 31,294 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, January 31st. The stock was bought at an average price of $64.

24 per share, for a total transaction of $2,010,326.56. Following the completion of the acquisition, the chief executive officer now directly owns 31,294 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,010,326.

56. This represents a ∞ increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website .

1.02% of the stock is owned by insiders. About Ashland ( Free Report ) Ashland Inc provides additives and specialty ingredients in the North and Latin America, Europe, Asia Pacific, and internationally.

It operates through Life Sciences, Personal Care, Specialty Additives, and Intermediates segments. The Life Sciences segment offers pharmaceutical solutions, including controlled release polymers, disintegrants, tablet coatings, thickeners, solubilizers, and tablet binders; nutrition solutions, such as thickeners, stabilizers, emulsifiers, and additives; and nutraceutical solutions comprising products for weight management, joint comfort, stomach and intestinal health, sports nutrition, and general wellness, as well as custom formulation, toll processing, and particle engineering solutions. Featured Stories Want to see what other hedge funds are holding ASH? Visit HoldingsChannel.

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