FY2025 EPS Estimates for Ashland Lowered by Seaport Res Ptn

Ashland Inc. (NYSE:ASH) – Investment analysts at Seaport Res Ptn cut their FY2025 earnings estimates for Ashland in a research report issued on Monday, September 29th. Seaport Res Ptn analyst M. Harrison now expects that the basic materials company will post earnings per share of $3.55 for the year, down from their previous forecast of $3.66. The consensus estimate for Ashland’s current full-year earnings is $4.27 per share. Seaport Res Ptn also issued estimates for Ashland’s Q1 2026 earnings at $0.40 EPS, Q2 2026 earnings at $1.30 EPS, Q3 2026 earnings at $1.32 EPS, Q4 2026 earnings at $1.41 EPS, FY2026 earnings at $4.43 EPS, Q1 2027 earnings at $0.59 EPS, Q2 2027 earnings at $1.56 EPS, Q3 2027 earnings at $1.58 EPS and FY2027 earnings at $5.40 EPS.

Other equities analysts also recently issued reports about the stock. BMO Capital Markets raised their price target on shares of Ashland from $60.00 to $61.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, September 2nd. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on shares of Ashland from $50.00 to $53.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Thursday, July 31st. Argus decreased their price target on shares of Ashland from $70.00 to $65.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, August 26th. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Ashland from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, June 27th. Finally, Zacks Research raised shares of Ashland from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, September 25th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and five have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $61.43.

Ashland Stock Performance

NYSE:ASH opened at $47.91 on Tuesday. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $52.61 and its 200-day moving average price is $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 company has a market cap of $2.19 billion, a P/E ratio of -2.56, a P/E/G ratio of 3.47 and a beta of 0.52. Ashland has a twelve month low of $45.21 and a twelve month high of $88.89.

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 the consensus estimate of $1.15 by ($0.11). Ashland had a negative net margin of 46.01% and a positive return on equity of 6.82%. The company had revenue of $463.00 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $479.34 million. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $1.49 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was down 14.9% compared to the same quarter last year. Ashland has set its FY 2025 guidance at EPS.

Ashland Dividend Announcement

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

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Ashland

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Caldwell Trust Co purchased a new stake in shares of Ashland in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $62,000. Osaic Holdings Inc. raised its stake in shares of Ashland by 17.6% in the 2nd quarter. Osaic Holdings Inc. now owns 2,786 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $140,000 after acquiring an additional 417 shares during the period. Squarepoint Ops LLC raised its stake in shares of Ashland by 17.5% in the 2nd quarter. Squarepoint Ops LLC now owns 83,764 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $4,212,000 after acquiring an additional 12,504 shares during the period. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans raised its stake in shares of Ashland by 38.5% in the 2nd quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans now owns 15,318 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $770,000 after acquiring an additional 4,255 shares during the period. Finally, Geneos Wealth Management Inc. raised its stake in shares of Ashland by 59.0% in the 2nd quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 671 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $34,000 after acquiring an additional 249 shares during the period. 93.95% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.