Ashland (NYSE:ASH) Issues Quarterly Earnings Results

Ashland (NYSE:ASH) released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday. The basic materials company reported $0.28 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate 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 in the prior year, the business earned $0.45 EPS. Ashland updated its FY 2025 guidance to EPS.

Ashland Stock Performance

Shares of ASH opened at $64.29 on Thursday. The firm has a market cap of $3.03 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.19, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.14 and a beta of 0.87. The company’s fifty day moving average is $73.16 and its 200-day moving average is $82.09. The company has a quick ratio of 1.33, a current ratio of 2.44 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.47. Ashland has a 12 month low of $63.93 and a 12 month high of $102.50.

Ashland Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Saturday, March 15th. Shareholders of record on Saturday, March 1st will be paid a $0.405 dividend. This represents a $1.62 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.52%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 28th. Ashland’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 48.36%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

ASH has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. UBS Group dropped their price target on Ashland from $95.00 to $93.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Ashland from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday. Wells Fargo & Company cut their target price on shares of Ashland from $95.00 to $90.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, December 11th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets raised their target price on Ashland from $83.00 to $84.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, December 11th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $100.00.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Ashland news, VP Eric N. Boni sold 451 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, December 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $78.07, for a total transaction of $35,209.57. Following the transaction, 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 SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, SVP Robin E. Lampkin sold 868 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction 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 sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 2,883 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $224,585.70. This represents a 23.14 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 1.02% of the company’s stock.

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.