Ashland Inc. (NYSE:ASH) Receives Consensus Recommendation of "Hold" from Brokerages

Key Points

• Ashland Inc. (NYSE:ASH) has received a consensus rating of "Hold" from seven research firms, with four holding and three buy recommendations.
• The average 12-month target price for Ashland shares is $61.43, with recent price objectives set between $53.00 and $65.00 by various analysts.
• Ashland recently announced a quarterly dividend of $0.415 per share, equating to an annualized dividend yield of 3.3%.

Shares of Ashland Inc. (NYSE:ASH - Get Free Report) have been given an average rating of "Hold" by the seven research firms that are currently covering the firm, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and three have assigned a buy recommendation to the company. The average 12 month target price among brokers that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $61.4286.

A number of research analysts have weighed in on the stock. Morgan Stanley assumed coverage on shares of Ashland in a research report on Monday, September 8th. They set an "equal weight" rating and a $60.00 price objective on the stock. BMO Capital Markets boosted their price objective on shares of Ashland from $60.00 to $61.00 and gave the company a "market perform" rating in a research report on Tuesday, September 2nd. Argus cut their price objective on shares of Ashland from $70.00 to $65.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, August 26th. UBS Group cut their price objective on shares of Ashland from $73.00 to $64.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, August 7th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price objective on shares of Ashland from $50.00 to $53.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Thursday, July 31st.

Ashland Trading Up 0.3%

Shares of ASH opened at $49.87 on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.73, a quick ratio of 1.33 and a current ratio of 2.68. Ashland has a fifty-two week low of $45.21 and a fifty-two week high of $88.89. The stock has a market capitalization of $2.28 billion, a PE ratio of -2.66, a P/E/G ratio of 3.59 and a beta of 0.52. The company's fifty day moving average is $52.97 and its 200 day moving average is $52.44.

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

Ashland Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, September 15th. Stockholders of record on Monday, September 1st were paid a dividend of $0.415 per share. This represents a $1.66 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.3%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, August 29th. Ashland's payout ratio is currently -8.86%.

Institutional Trading of Ashland

Large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC boosted its stake in shares of Ashland by 276.4% during the first quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 12,392 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $735,000 after purchasing an additional 9,100 shares during the period. Private Trust Co. NA boosted its stake in shares of Ashland by 33.5% during the first quarter. Private Trust Co. NA now owns 1,468 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $87,000 after purchasing an additional 368 shares during the period. Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Ashland during the first quarter valued at $273,000. Vontobel Holding Ltd. boosted its stake in shares of Ashland by 13.3% during the first quarter. Vontobel Holding Ltd. now owns 4,012 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $238,000 after purchasing an additional 471 shares during the period. Finally, Amundi boosted its stake in shares of Ashland by 417,809.1% during the first quarter. Amundi now owns 45,970 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $2,726,000 after purchasing an additional 45,959 shares during the period. 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.

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