Q2 Earnings Estimate for Ashland Issued By Seaport Res Ptn

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

Several other research firms also recently weighed in on ASH. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price target on shares of Ashland from $81.00 to $68.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, January 30th. UBS Group reduced their price target on shares of Ashland from $95.00 to $93.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, January 29th. BMO Capital Markets upped their price target 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. StockNews.com downgraded shares of Ashland from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 6th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price target on shares of Ashland from $90.00 to $80.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, January 30th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $93.50.

Ashland Trading Up 5.1 %

Shares of Ashland stock opened at $59.48 on Thursday. Ashland has a fifty-two week low of $56.46 and a fifty-two week high of $102.50. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.51, a quick ratio of 1.27 and a current ratio of 2.52. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $67.26 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $77.33. The company has a market cap of $2.81 billion, a P/E ratio of -90.12, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.14 and a beta of 0.89.

Ashland (NYSE:ASH) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, January 28th. The basic materials company reported $0.28 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates 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 company posted $0.45 earnings per share.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Ashland

Hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its holdings in Ashland by 1.4% during the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 4,928,924 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $352,221,000 after buying an additional 66,530 shares in the last quarter. Eminence Capital LP raised its holdings in shares of Ashland by 8.0% in the 4th quarter. Eminence Capital LP now owns 2,860,471 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $204,409,000 after purchasing an additional 212,916 shares in the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP raised its holdings in shares of Ashland by 1.6% in the 4th quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 2,818,695 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $201,423,000 after purchasing an additional 44,018 shares in the last quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA raised its holdings in shares of Ashland by 8.0% in the 4th quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 2,806,922 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $200,583,000 after purchasing an additional 208,320 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Pacer Advisors Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Ashland by 16.1% in the 4th quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. now owns 1,022,580 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $73,074,000 after purchasing an additional 142,121 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 93.95% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity

In related news, CEO Guillermo Novo acquired 31,294 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, January 31st. The stock was purchased at an average price of $64.24 per share, with a total value of $2,010,326.56. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 31,294 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,010,326.56. This trade represents a ∞ increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 1.02% of the company’s stock.

Ashland Dividend Announcement

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 paid a $0.405 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 28th. This represents a $1.62 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.72%. Ashland’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is -245.45%.

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.