What is Seaport Res Ptn’s Forecast for Ashland Q1 Earnings?

Ashland Inc. (NYSE:ASH) – Seaport Res Ptn dropped their Q1 2026 earnings estimates for Ashland in a report released on Wednesday, January 29th. Seaport Res Ptn analyst M. Harrison now expects that the basic materials company will earn $0.62 per share for the quarter, down from their previous estimate 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.

Several other analysts have also recently weighed in on ASH. BMO Capital Markets lifted their price objective on Ashland from $83.00 to $84.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, December 11th. 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 report on Wednesday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price objective on Ashland from $81.00 to $68.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday. StockNews.com raised shares of Ashland from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price target on shares of Ashland from $90.00 to $80.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Ashland presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $95.57.

Ashland Stock Performance

Shares of ASH opened at $63.77 on Friday. Ashland has a 1-year low of $62.84 and a 1-year high of $102.50. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $72.88 and its 200-day moving average price is $81.96. 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 (NYSE:ASH) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, January 28th. The basic materials company reported $0.28 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates 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 period in the prior year, the business posted $0.45 EPS.

Ashland Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Saturday, March 15th. Investors 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 2.54%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 28th. Ashland’s payout ratio is -245.45%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Ashland

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

Institutional Trading of Ashland

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA lifted its position in Ashland by 12.3% during the third quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 2,598,602 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $226,000,000 after purchasing an additional 284,215 shares in the last quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC grew its stake in Ashland by 6.3% during the third quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 1,737,738 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $151,131,000 after acquiring an additional 103,517 shares in the last quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. lifted its position in shares of Ashland by 16.1% in the fourth quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. now owns 1,022,580 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $73,074,000 after buying an additional 142,121 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Ashland by 0.3% during the 3rd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 827,642 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $72,000,000 after acquiring an additional 2,316 shares during the last quarter. Finally, WCM Investment Management LLC grew its position in Ashland by 2.6% in the third quarter. WCM Investment Management LLC now owns 297,218 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $26,045,000 after acquiring an additional 7,478 shares in the last quarter. 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.