Seaport Res Ptn Has Negative View of Ashland FY2025 Earnings

Ashland Inc. (NYSE:ASH) – Investment analysts at Seaport Res Ptn reduced their FY2025 earnings estimates for shares of Ashland in a research report issued to clients and investors on Wednesday, December 11th. Seaport Res Ptn analyst M. Harrison now expects that the basic materials company will post earnings of $4.48 per share for the year, down from their prior estimate of $4.70. 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 2026 earnings at $1.59 EPS and FY2026 earnings at $5.94 EPS.

Ashland (NYSE:ASH) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, November 6th. The basic materials company reported $1.26 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.28 by ($0.02). The firm had revenue of $522.00 million for 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%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up .8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $0.41 earnings per share.

Other analysts have also issued research reports about the company. BMO Capital Markets upped their price objective on Ashland from $83.00 to $84.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research report on Wednesday. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price target on Ashland from $95.00 to $90.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday. Finally, StockNews.com cut shares of Ashland from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $102.00.

Ashland Stock Up 0.9 %

Shares of ASH opened at $74.78 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $3.52 billion, a PE ratio of 22.32, a P/E/G ratio of 1.15 and a beta of 0.86. Ashland has a 1 year low of $72.83 and a 1 year high of $102.50. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.47, a quick ratio of 1.33 and a current ratio of 2.44. The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $81.36 and its 200-day simple moving average is $87.95.

Ashland Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Sunday, December 15th. Investors of record on Sunday, December 1st will be given a $0.405 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, November 29th. This represents a $1.62 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.17%. Ashland’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 48.36%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Ashland news, VP Eric N. Boni sold 451 shares of Ashland stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, December 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $78.07, for a total value of $35,209.57. Following the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 14,182 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,107,188.74. This trade represents a 3.08 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, SVP Robin E. Lampkin sold 868 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 sale, the senior vice president now owns 2,883 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $224,585.70. This trade represents a 23.14 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.69% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Trading of Ashland

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in ASH. Prospera Private Wealth LLC acquired a new stake in Ashland in the third quarter valued at about $31,000. UMB Bank n.a. raised its stake in shares of Ashland by 193.1% during the 3rd quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 381 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $33,000 after buying an additional 251 shares in the last quarter. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB acquired a new stake in shares of Ashland in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $38,000. Assetmark Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Ashland by 610.5% in the third quarter. Assetmark Inc. now owns 540 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $47,000 after buying an additional 464 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Innealta Capital LLC acquired a new position in Ashland during the second quarter worth $71,000. 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.