Ashland (NYSE:ASH) Rating Lowered to “Hold” at Seaport Res Ptn

Ashland (NYSE:ASH) was downgraded by analysts at Seaport Res Ptn from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report issued on Wednesday,Zacks.com reports. Seaport Res Ptn also issued estimates for Ashland’s Q2 2025 earnings at $1.20 EPS.

Several other analysts also recently weighed in on ASH. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their target price on shares of Ashland from $90.00 to $80.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, January 30th. BMO Capital Markets upped their price objective on shares of Ashland from $83.00 to $84.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a report on Wednesday, December 11th. StockNews.com downgraded shares of Ashland from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, February 6th. UBS Group dropped their price objective on shares of Ashland from $95.00 to $93.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, January 29th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price objective on shares of Ashland from $81.00 to $68.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, January 30th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Ashland has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $93.50.

Ashland Stock Up 0.2 %

NYSE:ASH opened at $59.54 on Wednesday. The company has a market cap of $2.81 billion, a PE ratio of -90.21, a P/E/G ratio of 1.14 and a beta of 0.89. Ashland has a twelve month low of $56.46 and a twelve month high of $102.50. The company has a current ratio of 2.52, a quick ratio of 1.27 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.51. The company’s 50 day moving average is $67.02 and its two-hundred day moving average is $77.21.

Ashland (NYSE:ASH) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, January 28th. The basic materials company reported $0.28 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.79 by ($0.51). Ashland had a positive return on equity of 7.41% and a negative net margin of 1.12%. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $0.45 EPS. Analysts anticipate that Ashland will post 4.27 EPS for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, CEO Guillermo Novo purchased 31,294 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, January 31st. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $64.24 per share, with a total value of $2,010,326.56. Following the completion of the acquisition, the chief executive officer now owns 31,294 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,010,326.56. This represents a ∞ increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. 1.02% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Trading of Ashland

Hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Prospera Private Wealth LLC acquired a new position in Ashland during the third quarter worth $31,000. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB acquired a new position in Ashland during the third quarter worth $38,000. Versant Capital Management Inc acquired a new position in Ashland during the fourth quarter worth $33,000. Assetmark Inc. raised its position in Ashland by 610.5% during the third quarter. Assetmark Inc. now owns 540 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $47,000 after acquiring an additional 464 shares during the period. Finally, Atala Financial Inc acquired a new position in Ashland during the fourth quarter worth $56,000. 93.95% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.