100,000 Shares in Ashland Inc. $ASH Bought by Dayah Capital LLC

Dayah Capital LLC bought a new position in shares of Ashland Inc. (NYSE:ASH - Free Report) during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund bought 100,000 shares of the basic materials company's stock, valued at approximately $5,561,000. Ashland accounts for 2.1% of Dayah Capital LLC's holdings, making the stock its 14th biggest holding. Dayah Capital LLC owned approximately 0.22% of Ashland as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. AQR Capital Management LLC raised its position in shares of Ashland by 284.3% during the second quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 3,454,646 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $172,318,000 after acquiring an additional 2,555,585 shares during the last quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Ashland by 13,240.8% in the fourth quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 1,736,173 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $101,861,000 after acquiring an additional 1,723,159 shares during the period. Jefferies Financial Group Inc. boosted its holdings in Ashland by 775.6% in the fourth quarter. Jefferies Financial Group Inc. now owns 1,900,000 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $111,473,000 after acquiring an additional 1,682,994 shares during the last quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. boosted its holdings in Ashland by 1,080,682.0% in the fourth quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 1,437,440 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $84,335,000 after acquiring an additional 1,437,307 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Thrivent Financial for Lutherans increased its position in Ashland by 1,804.0% during the 4th quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans now owns 1,021,264 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $59,918,000 after purchasing an additional 967,626 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 93.95% of the company's stock.

Ashland Trading Down 0.2%

NYSE ASH opened at $72.71 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $3.33 billion, a P/E ratio of 63.78, a P/E/G ratio of 2.37 and a beta of 0.41. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $64.31 and a 200 day simple moving average of $60.09. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.73, a current ratio of 3.05 and a quick ratio of 1.78. Ashland Inc. has a one year low of $46.29 and a one year high of $74.99.

Ashland (NYSE:ASH - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, April 28th. The basic materials company reported $0.91 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.97 by ($0.06). The business had revenue of $482.00 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $485.61 million. Ashland had a net margin of 2.82% and a return on equity of 8.03%. Ashland's quarterly revenue was up .6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm posted $0.99 earnings per share. Research analysts expect that Ashland Inc. will post 3.48 earnings per share for the current year.

Ashland Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 15th. Stockholders of record on Monday, June 1st were paid a $0.42 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, June 1st. This represents a $1.68 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.3%. This is an increase from Ashland's previous quarterly dividend of $0.41. Ashland's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 147.37%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts have issued reports on the stock. Morgan Stanley set a $58.00 price target on shares of Ashland in a report on Monday, May 4th. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price objective on shares of Ashland from $60.00 to $50.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, April 30th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price objective on shares of Ashland from $65.00 to $75.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Friday, July 10th. Seaport Research Partners raised shares of Ashland from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $75.00 target price for the company in a research note on Wednesday, May 6th. Finally, Weiss Ratings lowered shares of Ashland from a "sell (d)" rating to a "sell (d-)" rating in a report on Monday, May 4th. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, four have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Ashland currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $67.40.

Key Stories Impacting Ashland

Here are the key news stories impacting Ashland this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Ashland reached a cooperation agreement with activist investor Ancora, appointing two new directors. The settlement may reduce governance uncertainty and revive expectations that Ashland could pursue a sale or other strategic alternatives after pressure from Ancora and Cruiser Capital. Ashland announces appointment of two new directors
• Positive Sentiment: BMO Capital Markets raised its price target for ASH from $68 to $75 and reiterated an “outperform” rating. The new target implies modest additional upside from recent trading levels, reinforcing the view that operational improvements or strategic action could unlock value. BMO raises Ashland price target
• Positive Sentiment: Fiscal third-quarter sales benefited from volume growth across all business segments, while management highlighted continued efforts to improve cash generation and operating performance. Some analysts view Ashland as potentially undervalued following the quarter. Ashland Q3 sales beat estimates
• Neutral Sentiment: Institutional positioning was mixed, with 149 investors adding shares and 140 reducing positions in the latest reported quarter. This suggests divided views among large investors rather than a clear consensus.
• Negative Sentiment: Adjusted third-quarter EPS of $1.02 narrowly missed the $1.03 consensus estimate and declined from $1.04 a year earlier. Profitability remained under pressure despite stronger sales, and Ashland lowered its fiscal 2026 EPS-growth outlook. Ashland Q3 earnings call highlights

Ashland Company Profile

Ashland Inc is a global specialty chemicals company that develops, manufactures and supplies a broad range of performance and process-critical additives, ingredients and technologies. Its portfolio spans performance additives for coatings, adhesives and sealants; specialty ingredients for personal care and pharmaceutical applications; and process aids used in water treatment and other industrial processes. Ashland aims to address customer challenges by delivering tailored solutions that improve product performance, processing efficiency and sustainability outcomes.

Founded in 1924 as the Ashland Oil & Refining Company, the firm gradually expanded into the specialty chemicals sector over the second half of the 20th century.

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