WCM Investment Management LLC Sells 73,706 Shares of Ashland Inc. $ASH

WCM Investment Management LLC reduced its position in shares of Ashland Inc. (NYSE:ASH) by 27.0% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 199,630 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after selling 73,706 shares during the period. WCM Investment Management LLC owned about 0.44% of Ashland worth $9,506,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of ASH. Callan Family Office LLC acquired a new position in Ashland during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $202,000. State of Wyoming bought a new stake in shares of Ashland in the third quarter worth $57,000. Oak Harbor Wealth Partners LLC boosted its holdings in Ashland by 50.6% during the third quarter. Oak Harbor Wealth Partners LLC now owns 15,569 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $746,000 after purchasing an additional 5,229 shares during the last quarter. Transcend Capital Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Ashland during the third quarter worth $278,000. Finally, Thrivent Financial for Lutherans grew its position in Ashland by 250.2% in the third quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans now owns 53,638 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $2,570,000 after purchasing an additional 38,320 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 93.95% of the company’s stock.

More Ashland News

Here are the key news stories impacting Ashland this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Q1 EPS beat and stronger cash flow — Ashland reported adjusted EPS of $0.26 (above consensus) and generated meaningful operating cash flow, which suggests the company is improving cash conversion despite a tough quarter. Ashland reports first quarter fiscal 2026 results and narrows full-year outlook
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst support remains — At least one Wall Street firm reiterated a Buy/Outperform view today, which can provide some near‑term support and points to upside from longer‑term operational improvements. Ashland: Stabilizing Fundamentals, Portfolio Streamlining, and Activist Upside Support Buy Rating
• Neutral Sentiment: Full earnings call/transcript available — The transcript provides management’s color on demand patterns, recovery timing for Calvert City and details on portfolio actions; useful for assessing whether temporary issues will normalize. Ashland Inc. (ASH) Q1 2026 Earnings Call Transcript
• Negative Sentiment: Revenue miss and weaker sales mix — Q1 sales fell ~5% to $386M (below estimates), partly from the Avoca divestiture and softer end‑market demand in Specialty Additives and Personal Care, which pressures near‑term top‑line momentum. ASH Q1 Earnings Beat, Sales Miss on Avoca Divestiture, Weak Demand
• Negative Sentiment: Narrowed adjusted‑EBITDA guidance and operational disruption — Management tightened FY26 adjusted‑EBITDA to $400–$420M (from $400–$430M) citing about $11M of temporary hits from the Calvert City startup delay and weather disruptions; that uncertainty is the main reason shares are under pressure. Ashland Inc. Reports Q1 Fiscal 2026 Results and Adjusted EBITDA Guidance Narrowed

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts have recently commented on ASH shares. Zacks Research downgraded shares of Ashland from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research note on Friday, October 24th. BMO Capital Markets raised Ashland from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and increased their price target for the company from $61.00 to $71.00 in a research report on Monday, December 15th. Weiss Ratings restated a “sell (d)” rating on shares of Ashland in a research note on Wednesday, January 21st. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price objective on Ashland from $51.00 to $60.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Friday, December 19th. Finally, UBS Group increased their price objective on Ashland from $64.00 to $70.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, January 12th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, three have issued a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $65.13.

Ashland Stock Down 0.9%

ASH stock opened at $61.02 on Wednesday. Ashland Inc. has a 1-year low of $45.21 and a 1-year high of $67.39. The business’s 50 day simple moving average is $60.04 and its 200 day simple moving average is $54.34. The company has a current ratio of 2.85, a quick ratio of 1.51 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.73. The firm has a market capitalization of $2.79 billion, a PE ratio of -4.04, a PEG ratio of 1.04 and a beta of 0.43.

Ashland (NYSE:ASH) last released its quarterly earnings data on Monday, February 2nd. The basic materials company reported $0.26 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.23 by $0.03. Ashland had a negative net margin of 38.26% and a positive return on equity of 7.37%. The firm had revenue of $386.00 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $401.42 million. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $0.28 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was down 4.7% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Ashland Inc. will post 4.27 EPS for the current year.

Ashland Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Sunday, March 15th. Stockholders of record on Sunday, March 1st will be issued a dividend of $0.415 per share. This represents a $1.66 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.7%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 27th. Ashland’s payout ratio is currently -9.05%.

Ashland Profile

Ashland Inc is a global specialty chemicals company that develops, manufactures and supplies a broad range of performance and process-critical additives, ingredients and technologies. Its portfolio spans performance additives for coatings, adhesives and sealants; specialty ingredients for personal care and pharmaceutical applications; and process aids used in water treatment and other industrial processes. Ashland aims to address customer challenges by delivering tailored solutions that improve product performance, processing efficiency and sustainability outcomes.

Founded in 1924 as the Ashland Oil & Refining Company, the firm gradually expanded into the specialty chemicals sector over the second half of the 20th century.