Research Analysts Set Expectations for Ashland Inc.’s Q1 2025 Earnings (NYSE:ASH)

Ashland Inc. (NYSE:ASH) – Equities research analysts at Seaport Res Ptn issued their Q1 2025 earnings per share (EPS) estimates for Ashland in a research report issued to clients and investors on Wednesday, September 13th. Seaport Res Ptn analyst M. Harrison forecasts that the basic materials company will post earnings per share of $1.44 for the quarter. The consensus estimate for Ashland’s current full-year earnings is $4.66 per share. Seaport Res Ptn also issued estimates for Ashland’s Q2 2025 earnings at $2.09 EPS and Q3 2025 earnings at $2.22 EPS.

ASH has been the subject of a number of other research reports. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft decreased their target price on Ashland from $105.00 to $95.00 in a report on Thursday, June 29th. Mizuho reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $114.00 target price on shares of Ashland in a report on Wednesday. StockNews.com assumed coverage on Ashland in a report on Thursday, August 17th. They set a “hold” rating for the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their target price on Ashland from $94.00 to $87.00 and set an “underweight” rating for the company in a report on Friday, July 28th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price target on Ashland from $100.00 to $90.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, June 30th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have issued a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $109.75.

Ashland Trading Up 2.9 %

Ashland stock opened at $83.57 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.88, a current ratio of 3.53 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.42. Ashland has a 52 week low of $79.42 and a 52 week high of $114.36. The company has a market capitalization of $4.28 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.08, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.42 and a beta of 0.98. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $87.56 and a 200 day moving average price of $91.75.

Ashland (NYSE:ASH) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 26th. The basic materials company reported $1.23 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.35 by ($0.12). The business had revenue of $546.00 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $566.64 million. Ashland had a return on equity of 8.54% and a net margin of 10.32%. Ashland’s revenue was down 15.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $1.89 EPS.

Ashland declared that its board has approved a stock buyback plan on Wednesday, June 28th that permits the company to repurchase $1.00 billion in shares. This repurchase authorization permits the basic materials company to purchase up to 21.2% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase plans are generally an indication that the company’s board believes its shares are undervalued.

Ashland Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, September 15th. Stockholders of record on Friday, September 1st will be paid a dividend of $0.385 per share. This represents a $1.54 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.84%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, August 31st. Ashland’s payout ratio is 35.16%.

Insider Transactions at Ashland

In other news, CFO J Kevin Willis sold 7,866 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, September 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $86.54, for a total transaction of $680,723.64. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 11,583 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,002,392.82. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Corporate insiders own 8.20% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. First Command Financial Services Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Ashland during the 1st quarter worth approximately $25,000. WealthPLAN Partners LLC acquired a new position in Ashland in the 1st quarter valued at $29,000. Corrado Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Ashland in the 4th quarter valued at $31,000. OLD Mission Capital LLC acquired a new position in Ashland in the 4th quarter valued at $31,000. Finally, Quarry LP acquired a new position in Ashland in the 2nd quarter valued at $31,000. 90.08% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About Ashland

Ashland Inc provides additives and specialty ingredients worldwide. 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.