Q2 Earnings Estimate for Ashland Issued By Seaport Res Ptn

Ashland Inc. (NYSE:ASH) – Stock analysts at Seaport Res Ptn dropped their Q2 2025 earnings estimates for shares of Ashland in a note issued to investors on Wednesday, March 5th. Seaport Res Ptn analyst M. Harrison now anticipates that the basic materials company will post earnings per share of $1.20 for the quarter, down from their previous forecast of $1.22. Seaport Res Ptn has a “Hold” rating on the stock. The consensus estimate for Ashland’s current full-year earnings is $4.27 per share.

Several other brokerages also recently issued reports on ASH. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price objective on shares of Ashland from $90.00 to $80.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, January 30th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price objective on shares of Ashland from $81.00 to $68.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, January 30th. UBS Group lowered their price objective on shares of Ashland from $95.00 to $93.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, January 29th. BMO Capital Markets raised their price objective on shares of Ashland from $83.00 to $84.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, December 11th. Finally, StockNews.com downgraded shares of Ashland from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, February 6th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Ashland currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $93.50.

Ashland Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:ASH opened at $59.48 on Thursday. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $67.26 and its 200 day moving average price is $77.33. Ashland has a 12 month low of $56.46 and a 12 month 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. The firm has a market capitalization of $2.81 billion, a P/E ratio of -90.12, a P/E/G ratio of 1.14 and a beta of 0.89.

Ashland (NYSE:ASH) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, January 28th. The basic materials company reported $0.28 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.79 by ($0.51). Ashland had a positive return on equity of 7.41% and a negative net margin of 1.12%. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $0.45 EPS.

Ashland Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Saturday, March 15th. Investors of record on Saturday, March 1st will be issued a dividend of $0.405 per share. This represents a $1.62 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.72%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 28th. Ashland’s dividend payout ratio is currently -245.45%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CEO Guillermo Novo acquired 31,294 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, January 31st. The shares were purchased at an average price of $64.24 per share, with a total value of $2,010,326.56. Following the completion of the acquisition, the chief executive officer now 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 purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. 1.02% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Trading of Ashland

Institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Prospera Private Wealth LLC acquired a new position in Ashland during the third quarter worth about $31,000. Versant Capital Management Inc acquired a new position in Ashland during the fourth quarter worth about $33,000. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB acquired a new position in Ashland during the third quarter worth about $38,000. Assetmark Inc. raised 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 last quarter. Finally, Atala Financial Inc acquired a new position in Ashland during the fourth quarter worth about $56,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 93.95% of the company’s stock.

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.