Ashland (NYSE:ASH) Releases Earnings Results, Misses Estimates By $0.51 EPS

Ashland (NYSE:ASH) released its earnings results on Tuesday. The basic materials company reported $0.28 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.79 by ($0.51), RTT News reports. Ashland had a return on equity of 7.43% and a net margin of 7.95%. During the same period last year, the company posted $0.45 EPS. Ashland updated its FY 2025 guidance to EPS.

Ashland Price Performance

NYSE ASH traded down $0.15 during trading hours on Tuesday, reaching $71.00. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 583,061 shares, compared to its average volume of 486,789. The firm has a market capitalization of $3.34 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.19, a P/E/G ratio of 1.14 and a beta of 0.87. The company’s 50-day moving average is $73.51 and its two-hundred day moving average is $82.38. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.47, a current ratio of 2.44 and a quick ratio of 1.33. Ashland has a 1-year low of $68.14 and a 1-year high of $102.50.

Ashland Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Saturday, March 15th. Stockholders of record on Saturday, March 1st will be given a dividend of $0.405 per share. This represents a $1.62 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.28%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 28th. Ashland’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 48.36%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Ashland

In other news, VP Eric N. Boni sold 451 shares of Ashland stock in a transaction dated Thursday, December 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $78.07, for a total value of $35,209.57. Following the sale, the vice president now owns 14,182 shares in the company, valued at $1,107,188.74. This trade represents a 3.08 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, SVP Robin E. Lampkin sold 868 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated 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 owns 2,883 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $224,585.70. This trade represents a 23.14 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 1.02% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms have recently commented on ASH. StockNews.com downgraded shares of Ashland from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, December 12th. Wells Fargo & Company cut their price target on Ashland from $95.00 to $90.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, December 11th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets boosted their price objective on Ashland from $83.00 to $84.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a report on Wednesday, December 11th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $102.00.

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.