Seaport Res Ptn Issues Negative Outlook for Ashland Earnings

Ashland Inc. (NYSE:ASH) – Research analysts at Seaport Res Ptn cut their Q1 2026 earnings per share (EPS) estimates for shares of Ashland in a research note issued on Wednesday, January 29th. Seaport Res Ptn analyst M. Harrison now forecasts that the basic materials company will earn $0.62 per share for the quarter, down from their prior forecast of $0.78. The consensus estimate for Ashland’s current full-year earnings is $4.31 per share. Seaport Res Ptn also issued estimates for Ashland’s Q3 2026 earnings at $1.86 EPS and Q4 2026 earnings at $1.82 EPS.

A number of other research firms have also commented on ASH. StockNews.com raised Ashland from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday. UBS Group reduced their target price on Ashland from $95.00 to $93.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price target on Ashland from $90.00 to $80.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price objective on shares of Ashland from $81.00 to $68.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday. Finally, BMO Capital Markets increased their target price on shares of Ashland from $83.00 to $84.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 11th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $95.57.

Ashland Stock Down 0.2 %

ASH opened at $63.61 on Friday. The company has a 50 day moving average of $72.57 and a 200 day moving average of $81.75. The company has a current ratio of 2.44, a quick ratio of 1.33 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.47. Ashland has a 12 month low of $62.84 and a 12 month high of $102.50. The company has a market cap of $3.00 billion, a PE ratio of -96.37, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.03 and a beta of 0.87.

Ashland (NYSE:ASH) last released its quarterly earnings data 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 negative net margin of 1.12% and a positive return on equity of 7.17%. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $0.45 EPS.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of ASH. State of New Jersey Common Pension Fund D grew its position in Ashland by 22.7% during the 4th quarter. State of New Jersey Common Pension Fund D now owns 27,480 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $1,964,000 after acquiring an additional 5,092 shares during the last quarter. PUREfi Wealth LLC bought a new position in shares of Ashland in the fourth quarter worth approximately $325,000. Vontobel Holding Ltd. increased its stake in shares of Ashland by 11.4% in the fourth quarter. Vontobel Holding Ltd. now owns 3,541 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $253,000 after buying an additional 362 shares during the period. Savant Capital LLC bought a new stake in Ashland during the 4th quarter valued at $344,000. Finally, Empowered Funds LLC boosted its position in Ashland by 36.5% during the 4th quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 36,103 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $2,580,000 after buying an additional 9,656 shares during the period. 93.95% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insider Activity at Ashland

In other Ashland news, VP Eric N. Boni sold 451 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, December 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $78.07, for a total value of $35,209.57. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now owns 14,182 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,107,188.74. This represents a 3.08 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, SVP Robin E. Lampkin sold 868 shares of Ashland stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, November 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $77.90, for a total transaction of $67,617.20. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 2,883 shares in the company, valued at $224,585.70. This trade represents a 23.14 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 1.02% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Ashland Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Saturday, March 15th. Investors of record on Saturday, March 1st will be given a $0.405 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 28th. This represents a $1.62 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.55%. 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.