Seaport Res Ptn Brokers Lift Earnings Estimates for Ashland

Ashland Inc. (NYSE:ASH) – Equities researchers at Seaport Res Ptn increased their Q2 2025 EPS estimates for Ashland in a research note issued on Wednesday, January 22nd. Seaport Res Ptn analyst M. Harrison now anticipates that the basic materials company will earn $1.27 per share for the quarter, up from their previous forecast of $1.26. The consensus estimate for Ashland’s current full-year earnings is $4.31 per share. Seaport Res Ptn also issued estimates for Ashland’s FY2025 earnings at $4.42 EPS and FY2026 earnings at $5.87 EPS.

Ashland (NYSE:ASH) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, November 6th. The basic materials company reported $1.26 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.28 by ($0.02). The business had revenue of $522.00 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $524.07 million. Ashland had a return on equity of 7.43% and a net margin of 7.95%. Ashland’s quarterly revenue was up .8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $0.41 EPS.

Several other equities research analysts have also weighed in on the company. BMO Capital Markets lifted their price objective on Ashland from $83.00 to $84.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a report on Wednesday, December 11th. StockNews.com downgraded shares of Ashland from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, December 12th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price target on shares of Ashland from $95.00 to $90.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, December 11th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Ashland currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $102.00.

Ashland Stock Performance

NYSE:ASH opened at $70.99 on Thursday. The company has a market capitalization of $3.34 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.19, a P/E/G ratio of 1.14 and a beta of 0.87. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $73.63 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $82.69. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.47, a current ratio of 2.44 and a quick ratio of 1.33. Ashland has a 1 year low of $68.14 and a 1 year high of $102.50.

Institutional Trading of Ashland

A number of hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Independence Bank of Kentucky increased its stake in Ashland by 302.4% in the 4th quarter. Independence Bank of Kentucky now owns 1,489 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $106,000 after purchasing an additional 1,119 shares during the period. Pacer Advisors Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Ashland by 16.1% in the fourth quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. now owns 1,022,580 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $73,074,000 after purchasing an additional 142,121 shares during the last quarter. KBC Group NV increased its stake in shares of Ashland by 70.9% in the fourth quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 2,066 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $148,000 after buying an additional 857 shares during the period. SG Americas Securities LLC raised its holdings in Ashland by 2,060.5% during the 4th quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 179,151 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $12,802,000 after buying an additional 170,859 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Assenagon Asset Management S.A. boosted its position in Ashland by 703.7% during the 4th quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 184,806 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $13,206,000 after buying an additional 161,812 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 93.95% of the company’s stock.

Insider Transactions at Ashland

In related news, SVP Robin E. Lampkin sold 868 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, November 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $77.90, for a total value of $67,617.20. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 2,883 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $224,585.70. This represents a 23.14 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, VP Eric N. Boni sold 451 shares of Ashland stock in a transaction dated Thursday, December 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $78.07, for a total value of $35,209.57. Following the sale, the vice president now directly owns 14,182 shares of the company’s stock, 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. Insiders own 1.02% of the company’s stock.

Ashland Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Saturday, March 15th. Stockholders of record on Saturday, March 1st will be given a dividend of $0.405 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 28th. This represents a $1.62 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.28%. Ashland’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 48.36%.

About Ashland

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.