Ashland (NYSE:ASH) Issues Quarterly Earnings Results

Ashland (NYSE:ASH) issued its earnings results on Tuesday. The basic materials company reported $0.28 earnings per share (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 earned $0.45 earnings per share. Ashland updated its FY 2025 guidance to EPS.

Ashland Stock Down 0.2 %

ASH traded down $0.15 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 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 fifty-two week low of $68.14 and a fifty-two week high of $102.50. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $73.51 and a two-hundred day moving average of $82.38. The company 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.

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 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.28%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 28th. Ashland’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 48.36%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages have commented on ASH. Wells Fargo & Company reduced 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. StockNews.com lowered shares of Ashland from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, December 12th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets boosted their price target on shares of Ashland from $83.00 to $84.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 11th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $102.00.

Insider Transactions at Ashland

In other news, VP Eric N. Boni sold 451 shares of Ashland stock in a transaction dated Thursday, December 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $78.07, for a total transaction of $35,209.57. Following the sale, the vice president now owns 14,182 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,107,188.74. The trade was a 3.08 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, SVP Robin E. Lampkin sold 868 shares of Ashland stock in a transaction on Friday, November 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $77.90, for a total transaction of $67,617.20. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 2,883 shares in the company, 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. Insiders own 1.02% of the company’s stock.

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.