Ashtead Group plc (LON:AHT) Given Consensus Rating of “Moderate Buy” by Analysts

Shares of Ashtead Group plc (LON:AHT) have been assigned a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” from the six analysts that are currently covering the stock, MarketBeat reports. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the company. The average 12-month price target among analysts that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is GBX 6,550 ($81.76).

AHT has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. Jefferies Financial Group reissued a “buy” rating and set a GBX 6,800 ($84.88) price objective on shares of Ashtead Group in a report on Monday, December 16th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their target price on Ashtead Group from GBX 6,600 ($82.39) to GBX 7,300 ($91.12) and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, December 6th. Finally, Berenberg Bank reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a GBX 7,000 ($87.38) price objective on shares of Ashtead Group in a report on Wednesday.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, insider Brendan Horgan purchased 4,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, December 11th. The shares were bought at an average cost of GBX 5,320 ($66.41) per share, for a total transaction of £212,800 ($265,634.75). Company insiders own 0.64% of the company’s stock.

Ashtead Group Price Performance

AHT opened at GBX 5,402 ($67.43) on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 1.17, a quick ratio of 1.13 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 145.75. Ashtead Group has a 1 year low of GBX 4,807 ($60.00) and a 1 year high of GBX 6,448 ($80.49). The stock has a fifty day moving average price of GBX 5,506.74 and a 200 day moving average price of GBX 5,504.81. The stock has a market cap of £23.59 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 2,038.49, a PEG ratio of 1.32 and a beta of 1.22.

Ashtead Group Cuts Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 7th. Investors of record on Thursday, January 9th will be paid a dividend of $0.36 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, January 9th. This represents a dividend yield of 0.45%. Ashtead Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 3,018.87%.

About Ashtead Group

Ashtead Group plc, together with its subsidiaries, engages in the construction, industrial, and general equipment rental business in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Canada. It provides pumps, power generation, heating, cooling, scaffolding, traffic management, temporary flooring, trench shoring, and lifting services.