Ashland (ASH) to Release Earnings on Tuesday

Ashland (NYSE:ASH) is expected to be releasing its earnings data after the market closes on Tuesday, January 28th. Analysts expect Ashland to post earnings of $0.79 per share and revenue of $429,038.33 billion for the quarter. Ashland has set its FY 2025 guidance at EPS.Parties that are interested in registering for the company’s conference call can do so using this link.

Ashland (NYSE:ASH) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, November 6th. The basic materials company reported $1.26 EPS 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 net margin of 7.95% and a return on equity of 7.43%. Ashland’s revenue for the quarter was up .8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $0.41 EPS. On average, analysts expect Ashland to post $4 EPS for the current fiscal year and $5 EPS for the next fiscal year.

Ashland Trading Down 1.3 %

Shares of ASH stock opened at $70.99 on Friday. Ashland has a 1-year low of $68.14 and a 1-year high of $102.50. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $73.63 and its 200-day simple moving average is $82.62. The firm has a market cap of $3.34 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.19, a PEG ratio of 1.14 and a beta of 0.87. 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 Announces Dividend

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

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms have recently commented on ASH. StockNews.com downgraded Ashland from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, December 12th. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price objective on Ashland from $95.00 to $90.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, December 11th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets increased their target price 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. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $102.00.

Insider Activity at Ashland

In related news, SVP Robin E. Lampkin sold 868 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, November 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $77.90, for a total transaction of $67,617.20. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 2,883 shares in the company, valued at $224,585.70. This trade represents a 23.14 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, VP Eric N. Boni sold 451 shares of Ashland stock in a transaction on Thursday, December 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $78.07, for a total transaction of $35,209.57. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 14,182 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,107,188.74. This represents a 3.08 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 1.02% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

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.