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

Ashland Inc. (NYSE:ASH) – Research analysts at Seaport Res Ptn lowered their Q1 2025 earnings estimates for shares of Ashland in a report released on Wednesday, December 11th. Seaport Res Ptn analyst M. Harrison now forecasts that the basic materials company will post earnings per share of $0.23 for the quarter, down from their prior estimate of $0.67. The consensus estimate for Ashland’s current full-year earnings is $4.52 per share. Seaport Res Ptn also issued estimates for Ashland’s Q2 2025 earnings at $1.26 EPS, Q3 2025 earnings at $1.47 EPS, Q4 2025 earnings at $1.51 EPS, Q1 2026 earnings at $0.78 EPS, Q3 2026 earnings at $1.78 EPS and Q4 2026 earnings at $1.78 EPS.

Other research analysts have also recently issued reports about the stock. 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 report on Wednesday, December 11th. BMO Capital Markets boosted their price objective on shares of Ashland from $83.00 to $84.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a report on Wednesday, December 11th. Finally, StockNews.com downgraded Ashland from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, December 12th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $102.00.

Ashland Stock Performance

Ashland stock opened at $73.08 on Monday. The firm has a market capitalization of $3.44 billion, a PE ratio of 21.81, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.15 and a beta of 0.86. Ashland has a one year low of $72.83 and a one year high of $102.50. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $80.93 and its 200 day moving average price is $87.50. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.47, a quick ratio of 1.33 and a current ratio of 2.44.

Ashland (NYSE:ASH) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, November 6th. The basic materials company reported $1.26 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.28 by ($0.02). Ashland had a net margin of 7.95% and a return on equity of 7.43%. The company had revenue of $522.00 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $524.07 million. During the same period last year, the business earned $0.41 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up .8% compared to the same quarter last year.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of ASH. SG Americas Securities LLC bought a new position in Ashland in the second quarter worth about $713,000. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC bought a new stake in shares of Ashland in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $251,000. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. acquired a new position in Ashland during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $3,423,000. Raymond James & Associates grew its stake in Ashland by 28.7% during the 2nd quarter. Raymond James & Associates now owns 99,777 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $9,428,000 after buying an additional 22,280 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Fifth Third Bancorp increased its position in Ashland by 65.4% in the second quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 1,080 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $102,000 after buying an additional 427 shares during the period. 93.95% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity

In other news, SVP Robin E. Lampkin sold 868 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, November 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $77.90, for a total value of $67,617.20. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 2,883 shares in the company, valued at approximately $224,585.70. The trade was a 23.14 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, VP Eric N. Boni sold 451 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, December 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $78.07, for a total value 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 disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 1.02% of the company’s stock.

Ashland Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Sunday, December 15th. Stockholders of record on Sunday, December 1st were given a $0.405 dividend. This represents a $1.62 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.22%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, November 29th. Ashland’s payout ratio is currently 48.36%.

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.