Hilltop National Bank Has $335,000 Position in Ashland Inc. (NYSE:ASH)

Hilltop National Bank cut its holdings in Ashland Inc. (NYSE:ASH) by 10.5% in the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The fund owned 4,692 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after selling 553 shares during the quarter. Hilltop National Bank’s holdings in Ashland were worth $335,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Prospera Private Wealth LLC bought a new position in Ashland during the third quarter worth $31,000. UMB Bank n.a. increased its position in Ashland by 193.1% during the third quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 381 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $33,000 after acquiring an additional 251 shares during the period. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB bought a new position in Ashland during the third quarter worth $38,000. Versant Capital Management Inc bought a new position in Ashland during the fourth quarter worth $33,000. Finally, Assetmark Inc. increased its position in Ashland by 610.5% during the third quarter. Assetmark Inc. now owns 540 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $47,000 after acquiring an additional 464 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 93.95% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages recently issued reports on ASH. StockNews.com lowered shares of Ashland from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, December 12th. BMO Capital Markets boosted their price target on shares of Ashland from $83.00 to $84.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a report on Wednesday, December 11th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price target on shares of Ashland from $95.00 to $90.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, December 11th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Ashland currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $102.00.

Insider Activity

In related news, SVP Robin E. Lampkin sold 868 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, November 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $77.90, for a total transaction of $67,617.20. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 2,883 shares in the company, valued at $224,585.70. This represents a 23.14 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, VP Eric N. Boni sold 451 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, December 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $78.07, for a total transaction of $35,209.57. Following the transaction, the vice president now owns 14,182 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,107,188.74. This trade represents a 3.08 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 1.02% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Ashland Stock Down 2.3 %

Shares of NYSE:ASH opened at $68.74 on Friday. Ashland Inc. has a 52 week low of $68.54 and a 52 week high of $102.50. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.47, a quick ratio of 1.33 and a current ratio of 2.44. The company’s fifty day moving average is $75.92 and its 200-day moving average is $84.45. The company has a market capitalization of $3.24 billion, a PE ratio of 20.52, a P/E/G ratio of 1.15 and a beta of 0.87.

Ashland (NYSE:ASH) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, November 6th. The basic materials company reported $1.26 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.28 by ($0.02). Ashland had a net margin of 7.95% and a return on equity of 7.43%. The firm had revenue of $522.00 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $524.07 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $0.41 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up .8% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts predict that Ashland Inc. will post 4.52 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Ashland Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Sunday, December 15th. Stockholders of record on Sunday, December 1st were paid a $0.405 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, November 29th. This represents a $1.62 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.36%. Ashland’s dividend payout ratio is presently 48.36%.

Ashland Company Profile

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.