Seaport Res Ptn Has Pessimistic View of Ashland Q4 Earnings

Ashland Inc. (NYSE:ASH) – Investment analysts at Seaport Res Ptn lowered their Q4 2025 EPS estimates for Ashland in a research note issued on Monday, September 29th. Seaport Res Ptn analyst M. Harrison now forecasts that the basic materials company will earn $1.24 per share for the quarter, down from their previous forecast of $1.35. The consensus estimate for Ashland’s current full-year earnings is $4.27 per share.

Ashland (NYSE:ASH) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, July 29th. The basic materials company reported $1.04 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.15 by ($0.11). The firm had revenue of $463.00 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $479.34 million. Ashland had a positive return on equity of 6.82% and a negative net margin of 46.01%.The company’s revenue for the quarter was down 14.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $1.49 EPS. Ashland has set its FY 2025 guidance at EPS.

ASH has been the topic of a number of other reports. UBS Group decreased their price target on Ashland from $73.00 to $64.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, August 7th. Wall Street Zen upgraded Ashland from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, June 27th. BMO Capital Markets lifted their price target on Ashland from $60.00 to $61.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a report on Tuesday, September 2nd. Morgan Stanley started coverage on shares of Ashland in a research report on Monday, September 8th. They set an “equal weight” rating and a $60.00 price target on the stock. Finally, Argus lowered their price objective on shares of Ashland from $70.00 to $65.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, August 26th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and five have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $61.43.

Ashland Stock Performance

NYSE ASH opened at $47.91 on Wednesday. Ashland has a 1-year low of $45.21 and a 1-year high of $88.89. The company has a 50 day moving average of $52.61 and a 200-day moving average of $52.12. The company has a current ratio of 2.68, a quick ratio of 1.33 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.73. The firm has a market cap of $2.19 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -2.56, a PEG ratio of 3.47 and a beta of 0.52.

Ashland Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, September 15th. Shareholders of record on Monday, September 1st were given a dividend of $0.415 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, August 29th. This represents a $1.66 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.5%. Ashland’s dividend payout ratio is presently -8.86%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Ashland

Several institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio bought a new position in Ashland in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $1,265,000. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC lifted its stake in shares of Ashland by 10.7% in the 4th quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 3,292 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $235,000 after purchasing an additional 317 shares during the period. GAMMA Investing LLC boosted its position in shares of Ashland by 1,935.4% in the 1st quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 35,396 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $20,990,000 after purchasing an additional 33,657 shares during the last quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC boosted its position in shares of Ashland by 285.7% in the 1st quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC now owns 914 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $54,000 after purchasing an additional 677 shares during the last quarter. Finally, NBC Securities Inc. grew its stake in shares of Ashland by 125,433.3% during the first quarter. NBC Securities Inc. now owns 3,766 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $223,000 after purchasing an additional 3,763 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds 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.