Argus Lowers Ashland (NYSE:ASH) Price Target to $65.00

Ashland (NYSE:ASH) had its target price decreased by research analysts at Argus from $70.00 to $65.00 in a research note issued to investors on Tuesday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has a “buy” rating on the basic materials company’s stock. Argus’ price objective points to a potential upside of 15.02% from the company’s previous close.

ASH has been the topic of a number of other research reports. UBS Group dropped their price objective on Ashland from $73.00 to $64.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, August 7th. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Ashland from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, June 27th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price target on shares of Ashland from $71.00 to $67.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, May 6th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price objective on shares of Ashland from $50.00 to $53.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Thursday, July 31st. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $65.50.

Ashland Stock Up 0.5%

ASH stock traded up $0.26 during trading hours on Tuesday, reaching $56.51. 19,448 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 648,124. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $52.14 and its 200-day moving average is $53.73. The company has a market cap of $2.58 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -3.02, a PEG ratio of 4.05 and a beta of 0.49. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.73, a current ratio of 2.68 and a quick ratio of 1.33. Ashland has a 12 month low of $45.21 and a 12 month high of $90.61.

Ashland (NYSE:ASH) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, July 29th. The basic materials company reported $1.04 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.15 by ($0.11). Ashland had a negative net margin of 46.01% and a positive return on equity of 6.82%. The company had revenue of $463.00 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $479.34 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $1.49 EPS. Ashland’s revenue was down 14.9% on a year-over-year basis. Ashland has set its FY 2025 guidance at EPS. On average, equities research analysts expect that Ashland will post 4.27 earnings per share for the current year.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. increased its stake in Ashland by 59.0% in the second quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 671 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $34,000 after acquiring an additional 249 shares during the last quarter. UMB Bank n.a. increased its stake in Ashland by 212.4% in the first quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 706 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $42,000 after acquiring an additional 480 shares during the last quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC increased its stake in Ashland by 2,736.0% in the first quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 709 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $41,000 after acquiring an additional 684 shares during the last quarter. Abound Wealth Management bought a new position in Ashland in the second quarter valued at approximately $40,000. Finally, Allworth Financial LP increased its stake in Ashland by 63.9% in the first quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 834 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $49,000 after acquiring an additional 325 shares during the last quarter. 93.95% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Ashland Company Profile

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.