Ashland Inc. (NYSE:ASH) Receives Average Recommendation of "Moderate Buy" from Brokerages

Key Points

• Ashland Inc. has received a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" from six brokerages, with three analysts recommending a buy and three a hold rating.
• The average price target for Ashland's stock among analysts is $65.50, with recent price target adjustments from various firms ranging from $53.00 to $67.00.
• The company recently announced a quarterly dividend of $0.415 per share, equating to an annualized yield of 2.9%, with the ex-dividend date set for August 29th.

Shares of Ashland Inc. (NYSE:ASH - Get Free Report) have been assigned a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" from the six ratings firms that are presently covering the company, Marketbeat.com reports. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and three have given a buy recommendation to the company. The average 12-month price target among brokerages that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $65.50.

Several brokerages have issued reports on ASH. UBS Group decreased their target price on shares of Ashland from $73.00 to $64.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, August 7th. Argus decreased their target price on shares of Ashland from $70.00 to $65.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, August 26th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their target price on shares of Ashland from $71.00 to $67.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, May 6th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their target price on shares of Ashland from $50.00 to $53.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a report on Thursday, July 31st. Finally, Wall Street Zen raised shares of Ashland from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Friday, June 27th.

Ashland Stock Down 0.8%

NYSE:ASH traded down $0.45 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $56.15. 327,058 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 534,834. Ashland has a one year low of $45.21 and a one year high of $90.61. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.73, a current ratio of 2.68 and a quick ratio of 1.33. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $52.75 and a 200 day moving average price of $53.58. The company has a market cap of $2.57 billion, a PE ratio of -3.00, a P/E/G ratio of 4.02 and a beta of 0.49.

Ashland (NYSE:ASH - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, July 29th. The basic materials company reported $1.04 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.15 by ($0.11). The firm had revenue of $463.00 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $479.34 million. Ashland had a positive return on equity of 6.82% and a negative net margin of 46.01%.The firm's quarterly revenue was down 14.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm posted $1.49 earnings per share. Ashland has set its FY 2025 guidance at EPS. Equities analysts predict that Ashland will post 4.27 EPS for the current year.

Ashland Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, September 15th. Investors of record on Monday, September 1st will be given a dividend of $0.415 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, August 29th. This represents a $1.66 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.0%. Ashland's dividend payout ratio is -8.86%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in ASH. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. lifted its position in Ashland by 59.0% during the second quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 671 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $34,000 after purchasing an additional 249 shares during the period. Abound Wealth Management bought a new position in Ashland during the second quarter valued at approximately $40,000. Farther Finance Advisors LLC lifted its position in Ashland by 2,736.0% during the first quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 709 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $41,000 after purchasing an additional 684 shares during the period. UMB Bank n.a. lifted its position in Ashland by 212.4% during the first quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 706 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $42,000 after purchasing an additional 480 shares during the period. Finally, Allworth Financial LP lifted its position in Ashland by 63.9% during the first quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 834 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $49,000 after purchasing an additional 325 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 93.95% 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.