Brokerages Set Ardmore Shipping Corporation (NYSE:ASC) Target Price at $17.00

Shares of Ardmore Shipping Corporation (NYSE:ASC) have been assigned a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” from the four research firms that are currently covering the firm, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have given a buy rating to the company. The average 1-year price objective among analysts that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $17.00.

ASC has been the subject of several recent research reports. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Ardmore Shipping from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Saturday, March 14th. Evercore set a $19.00 price target on shares of Ardmore Shipping in a research report on Tuesday, April 21st.

Insider Buying and Selling at Ardmore Shipping

In other news, President Bart B. Kelleher sold 8,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $19.07, for a total value of $152,560.00. Following the completion of the sale, the president owned 60,039 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,144,943.73. This represents a 11.76% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Ardmore Shipping

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Zions Bancorporation National Association UT acquired a new stake in shares of Ardmore Shipping in the fourth quarter valued at about $25,000. Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Ardmore Shipping in the second quarter valued at about $38,000. Ameriflex Group Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Ardmore Shipping during the third quarter worth $59,000. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of Ardmore Shipping by 1,689.0% during the second quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 8,444 shares of the shipping company’s stock worth $81,000 after buying an additional 7,972 shares during the period. Finally, Tower Research Capital LLC TRC increased its position in shares of Ardmore Shipping by 536.3% during the second quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC now owns 8,737 shares of the shipping company’s stock worth $84,000 after buying an additional 7,364 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 62.22% of the company’s stock.

Key Stories Impacting Ardmore Shipping

Here are the key news stories impacting Ardmore Shipping this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Large dividend raise — Ardmore declared a $0.39 quarterly dividend (ex-div May 29; payable June 12), up from $0.09 prior (a ~333% increase) and implying an ~8.3% yield. The hike signals strong cash generation and returns capital to shareholders, a major positive for income-focused investors.
• Positive Sentiment: Q1 beat on both EPS and revenue — Adjusted EPS $0.58 vs. $0.51 consensus; revenue $87.9M vs. $58.1M expected, with net margin ~13.2%. The beat supports the dividend move and near-term cash flow outlook. Earnings Release
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst / commentary lift — A Seeking Alpha piece upgraded the view after the payout increase, arguing the bigger dividend turns ASC into a buy; some sell‑side price targets (Evercore) and independent upgrades have already trended more positive. Ardmore Shipping: Doubling The Payout Turns It Into A Buy
• Neutral Sentiment: Regulatory filing — Ardmore filed a Q1 2026 Form 6‑K detailing fleet profile and risk landscape; useful for due diligence but not an immediate price catalyst. Form 6‑K Filing
• Neutral Sentiment: Earnings call transcript available — The Q1 call transcript provides management commentary on earnings drivers, fleet deployment and outlook; watch commentary for guidance or chartering/contract trends that could alter sentiment. Q1 2026 Earnings Call Transcript
• Negative Sentiment: Insider sale disclosed — President Bart Kelleher sold 8,000 shares (~$152.6k) under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 plan. While routine and planned, insider selling can be viewed negatively by some investors; note the filing indicates it was pre-arranged. SEC Filing

Ardmore Shipping Price Performance

Shares of ASC opened at $18.80 on Friday. Ardmore Shipping has a 12-month low of $9.18 and a 12-month high of $19.62. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $15.84 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $13.51. The company has a quick ratio of 3.98, a current ratio of 4.33 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.20. The stock has a market cap of $765.52 million, a PE ratio of 21.12 and a beta of 0.03.

Ardmore Shipping (NYSE:ASC) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, May 7th. The shipping company reported $0.58 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.51 by $0.07. Ardmore Shipping had a return on equity of 7.02% and a net margin of 13.22%.The business had revenue of $87.92 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $58.08 million.

Ardmore Shipping Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 12th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 29th will be given a $0.39 dividend. This is an increase from Ardmore Shipping’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.09. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 29th. This represents a $1.56 annualized dividend and a yield of 8.3%. Ardmore Shipping’s dividend payout ratio is currently 40.45%.

About Ardmore Shipping

Ardmore Shipping Corporation is a Bermuda-based provider of seaborne transportation services for refined petroleum products. The company owns and operates a modern fleet of product tankers, including medium-range (MR), long-range 2 (LR2) and Aframax vessels. Ardmore Shipping focuses on the ocean carriage of clean and dirty petroleum products under time charters, bareboat charters and spot voyages, serving a diverse customer base that includes major oil companies and trading houses.

Since its founding in 2005, Ardmore Shipping has grown its fleet through newbuilding contracts, second-hand acquisitions and fleet renewals, aiming to maintain a high quality, fuel-efficient profile.