Seaport Res Ptn Estimates Ashland’s Q1 Earnings (NYSE:ASH)

Ashland Inc. (NYSE:ASH) – Analysts at Seaport Res Ptn decreased their Q1 2025 earnings per share estimates for shares of Ashland in a research report issued on Wednesday, December 11th. Seaport Res Ptn analyst M. Harrison now anticipates that the basic materials company will post earnings per share of $0.23 for the quarter, down from their previous forecast of $0.67. The consensus estimate for Ashland’s current full-year earnings is $4.52 per share. Seaport Res Ptn also issued estimates for Ashland’s Q2 2025 earnings at $1.26 EPS, Q3 2025 earnings at $1.47 EPS, Q4 2025 earnings at $1.51 EPS, Q1 2026 earnings at $0.78 EPS, Q3 2026 earnings at $1.78 EPS and Q4 2026 earnings at $1.78 EPS.

Ashland (NYSE:ASH) last issued its quarterly earnings data 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 company had revenue of $522.00 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $524.07 million. Ashland had a net margin of 7.95% and a return on equity of 7.43%. Ashland’s revenue for the quarter was up .8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $0.41 earnings per share.

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

Ashland Stock Down 0.9 %

Ashland stock opened at $73.08 on Monday. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $80.93 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $87.50. The stock has a market cap of $3.44 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.81, a PEG ratio of 1.15 and a beta of 0.86. Ashland has a 52 week low of $72.83 and a 52 week high of $102.50. The company has a current ratio of 2.44, a quick ratio of 1.33 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.47.

Ashland Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Sunday, December 15th. Stockholders of record on Sunday, December 1st were given a dividend of $0.405 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, November 29th. This represents a $1.62 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.22%. Ashland’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 48.36%.

Insider Activity

In other news, SVP Robin E. Lampkin sold 868 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, November 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $77.90, for a total transaction of $67,617.20. Following the sale, the senior vice president now owns 2,883 shares in the company, valued at $224,585.70. The trade was a 23.14 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, VP Eric N. Boni sold 451 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, December 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $78.07, for a total transaction of $35,209.57. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now 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.

Institutional Trading of Ashland

Several large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Synovus Financial Corp boosted its position in shares of Ashland by 11.2% in the third quarter. Synovus Financial Corp now owns 3,964 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $345,000 after buying an additional 400 shares during the period. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB purchased a new stake in Ashland in the 3rd quarter worth about $38,000. Neo Ivy Capital Management acquired a new stake in Ashland during the 3rd quarter worth about $728,000. Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its position in Ashland by 0.3% during the 3rd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 827,642 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $72,000,000 after acquiring an additional 2,316 shares during the period. Finally, Barclays PLC grew its stake in Ashland by 323.1% during the 3rd quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 71,689 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $6,236,000 after acquiring an additional 54,745 shares in the last quarter. 93.95% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.