Q1 Earnings Estimate for Ashland Issued By Seaport Res Ptn

Ashland Inc. (NYSE:ASH) – Investment analysts at Seaport Res Ptn cut their Q1 2025 earnings per share estimates for shares of Ashland in a report issued on Wednesday, December 11th. Seaport Res Ptn analyst M. Harrison now forecasts that the basic materials company will post earnings of $0.23 per share for the quarter, down from their prior estimate 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 posted its quarterly earnings results 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 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%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up .8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $0.41 earnings per share.

Several other brokerages have also weighed in on ASH. StockNews.com lowered shares of Ashland from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday. BMO Capital Markets upped their price target on Ashland from $83.00 to $84.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a report on Wednesday, December 11th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price objective on Ashland from $95.00 to $90.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a 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. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $102.00.

Ashland Stock Performance

NYSE:ASH opened at $74.78 on Monday. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $81.36 and its 200-day simple moving average is $87.88. The company has a quick ratio of 1.33, a current ratio of 2.44 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.47. The stock has a market cap of $3.52 billion, a PE ratio of 22.32, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.15 and a beta of 0.86. Ashland has a fifty-two week low of $72.83 and a fifty-two week high of $102.50.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Ashland

Several large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Equitable Trust Co. boosted its holdings in Ashland by 2.2% in the third quarter. Equitable Trust Co. now owns 6,431 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $559,000 after acquiring an additional 141 shares during the last quarter. Vanguard Personalized Indexing Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Ashland by 2.1% in the 2nd quarter. Vanguard Personalized Indexing Management LLC now owns 7,295 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $681,000 after purchasing an additional 149 shares in the last quarter. Raymond James Trust N.A. grew its holdings in shares of Ashland by 5.5% during the 3rd quarter. Raymond James Trust N.A. now owns 3,104 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $270,000 after purchasing an additional 163 shares during the period. Creative Planning increased its position in Ashland by 3.8% during the 2nd quarter. Creative Planning now owns 4,867 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $460,000 after purchasing an additional 176 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Crossmark Global Holdings Inc. raised its holdings in Ashland by 5.4% in the third quarter. Crossmark Global Holdings Inc. now owns 3,532 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $307,000 after buying an additional 182 shares during the period. 93.95% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Transactions at Ashland

In related news, 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 transaction, the vice president now owns 14,182 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,107,188.74. This represents a 3.08 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, SVP Robin E. Lampkin sold 868 shares of Ashland stock in a transaction that occurred 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 completion of the sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 2,883 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $224,585.70. The trade was a 23.14 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 0.69% of the company’s stock.

Ashland Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Sunday, December 15th. Shareholders of record on Sunday, December 1st were given a dividend of $0.405 per share. This represents a $1.62 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.17%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, November 29th. Ashland’s payout ratio is 48.36%.

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.