Seaport Res Ptn Has Pessimistic View of Ashland Q2 Earnings

Ashland Inc. (NYSE:ASH) – Seaport Res Ptn cut their Q2 2025 earnings per share (EPS) estimates for Ashland in a report issued on Wednesday, March 5th. Seaport Res Ptn analyst M. Harrison now expects that the basic materials company will post earnings of $1.20 per share for the quarter, down from their previous 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.

Ashland (NYSE:ASH) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, January 28th. The basic materials company reported $0.28 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate 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 period last year, the firm posted $0.45 earnings per share.

Other analysts have also recently issued research reports about the company. Wells Fargo & Company cut their price objective on Ashland from $90.00 to $80.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, January 30th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price objective on Ashland from $81.00 to $68.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, January 30th. StockNews.com cut Ashland from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 6th. UBS Group cut their price objective on Ashland from $95.00 to $93.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, January 29th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets upped their price objective on Ashland from $83.00 to $84.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 11th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Ashland presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $93.50.

Ashland Trading Down 2.1 %

Shares of NYSE ASH opened at $58.38 on Thursday. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $66.77 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $77.08. Ashland has a 52-week low of $56.46 and a 52-week high of $102.50. The stock has a market capitalization of $2.75 billion, a P/E ratio of -88.45, a PEG ratio of 1.14 and a beta of 0.89. The company has a quick ratio of 1.27, a current ratio of 2.52 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.51.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Ashland

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Prospera Private Wealth LLC bought a new position in Ashland in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $31,000. Versant Capital Management Inc bought a new position in Ashland in the 4th quarter worth approximately $33,000. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB bought a new position in Ashland in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $38,000. Assetmark Inc. grew its holdings in Ashland by 610.5% in the 3rd quarter. Assetmark Inc. now owns 540 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $47,000 after buying an additional 464 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Atala Financial Inc bought a new position in Ashland in the 4th quarter worth approximately $56,000. 93.95% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insider Activity

In other Ashland news, CEO Guillermo Novo acquired 31,294 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, January 31st. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $64.24 per share, with a total value of $2,010,326.56. Following the acquisition, the chief executive officer now directly owns 31,294 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,010,326.56. This represents a ∞ increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 1.02% of the company’s stock.

Ashland Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Saturday, March 15th. Stockholders of record on Saturday, March 1st will be issued a dividend of $0.405 per share. This represents a $1.62 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.78%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 28th. Ashland’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently -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.