Ashland (ASH) Competitors

$56.82 +0.32 (+0.57%)

As of 11:27 AM Eastern

ASH vs. ALB, AVNT, CBT, FUL, and CE

Should you buy Ashland stock or one of its competitors? MarketBeat compares Ashland with other companies and stocks that may be similar based on industry, sector, market capitalization, business model, investor interest, or shared news coverage. Companies and stocks commonly compared with Ashland include Albemarle (ALB), Avient (AVNT), Cabot (CBT), H. B. Fuller (FUL), and Celanese (CE). These companies are all part of the "basic materials" sector.

How does Ashland compare to Albemarle?

Ashland (NYSE:ASH) and Albemarle (NYSE:ALB) are both basic materials companies, but which is the better stock? We will compare the two companies based on the strength of their risk, analyst recommendations, dividends, institutional ownership, earnings, media sentiment, valuation and profitability.

Ashland presently has a consensus target price of $62.78, indicating a potential upside of 10.49%. Albemarle has a consensus target price of $200.26, indicating a potential upside of 5.22%. Given Ashland's higher probable upside, analysts clearly believe Ashland is more favorable than Albemarle.

Company	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Ashland	2 Sell rating(s)	3 Hold rating(s)	6 Buy rating(s)	0 Strong Buy rating(s)	2.36
Albemarle	1 Sell rating(s)	11 Hold rating(s)	13 Buy rating(s)	1 Strong Buy rating(s)	2.54

Ashland pays an annual dividend of $1.66 per share and has a dividend yield of 2.9%. Albemarle pays an annual dividend of $1.62 per share and has a dividend yield of 0.9%. Ashland pays out -10.8% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. Albemarle pays out -47.5% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. Both companies have healthy payout ratios and should be able to cover their dividend payments with earnings for the next several years. Ashland has increased its dividend for 16 consecutive years and Albemarle has increased its dividend for 30 consecutive years.

In the previous week, Albemarle had 22 more articles in the media than Ashland. MarketBeat recorded 30 mentions for Albemarle and 8 mentions for Ashland. Albemarle's average media sentiment score of 0.88 beat Ashland's score of -0.10 indicating that Albemarle is being referred to more favorably in the news media.

Company	Very Positive	Positive	Neutral	Negative	Very Negative	Overall Sentiment
Ashland	1 Very Positive mention(s)	1 Positive mention(s)	5 Neutral mention(s)	0 Negative mention(s)	1 Very Negative mention(s)	Neutral
Albemarle	11 Very Positive mention(s)	2 Positive mention(s)	8 Neutral mention(s)	0 Negative mention(s)	0 Very Negative mention(s)	Positive

Albemarle has a net margin of -5.00% compared to Ashland's net margin of -39.03%. Ashland's return on equity of 8.06% beat Albemarle's return on equity.

Company	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Ashland	-39.03%	8.06%	3.33%
Albemarle	-5.00%	5.22%	2.51%

94.0% of Ashland shares are owned by institutional investors. Comparatively, 92.9% of Albemarle shares are owned by institutional investors. 1.3% of Ashland shares are owned by insiders. Comparatively, 0.4% of Albemarle shares are owned by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that endowments, large money managers and hedge funds believe a stock is poised for long-term growth.

Ashland has a beta of 0.4, meaning that its share price is 60% less volatile than the broader market. Comparatively, Albemarle has a beta of 1.36, meaning that its share price is 36% more volatile than the broader market.

Albemarle has higher revenue and earnings than Ashland. Albemarle is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Ashland, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.

Company	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
Ashland	$1.82B	1.43	-$845M	-$15.42	N/A
Albemarle	$5.14B	4.36	-$510.63M	-$3.41	N/A

Summary

Albemarle beats Ashland on 13 of the 20 factors compared between the two stocks.

How does Ashland compare to Avient?

Ashland (NYSE:ASH) and Avient (NYSE:AVNT) are both mid-cap basic materials companies, but which is the superior investment? We will compare the two businesses based on the strength of their dividends, valuation, media sentiment, earnings, analyst recommendations, institutional ownership, profitability and risk.

In the previous week, Avient had 3 more articles in the media than Ashland. MarketBeat recorded 11 mentions for Avient and 8 mentions for Ashland. Avient's average media sentiment score of 0.54 beat Ashland's score of -0.10 indicating that Avient is being referred to more favorably in the news media.

Company	Very Positive	Positive	Neutral	Negative	Very Negative	Overall Sentiment
Ashland	1 Very Positive mention(s)	1 Positive mention(s)	5 Neutral mention(s)	0 Negative mention(s)	1 Very Negative mention(s)	Neutral
Avient	4 Very Positive mention(s)	2 Positive mention(s)	4 Neutral mention(s)	1 Negative mention(s)	0 Very Negative mention(s)	Positive

Ashland has a beta of 0.4, suggesting that its share price is 60% less volatile than the broader market. Comparatively, Avient has a beta of 1.31, suggesting that its share price is 31% more volatile than the broader market.

Avient has a net margin of 4.81% compared to Ashland's net margin of -39.03%. Avient's return on equity of 11.11% beat Ashland's return on equity.

Company	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Ashland	-39.03%	8.06%	3.33%
Avient	4.81%	11.11%	4.40%

Ashland currently has a consensus target price of $62.78, suggesting a potential upside of 10.49%. Avient has a consensus target price of $46.40, suggesting a potential upside of 34.73%. Given Avient's higher possible upside, analysts clearly believe Avient is more favorable than Ashland.

Company	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Ashland	2 Sell rating(s)	3 Hold rating(s)	6 Buy rating(s)	0 Strong Buy rating(s)	2.36
Avient	0 Sell rating(s)	4 Hold rating(s)	2 Buy rating(s)	0 Strong Buy rating(s)	2.33

Avient has higher revenue and earnings than Ashland. Ashland is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Avient, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.

Company	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
Ashland	$1.82B	1.43	-$845M	-$15.42	N/A
Avient	$3.26B	0.97	$81.90M	$1.72	20.02

94.0% of Ashland shares are owned by institutional investors. Comparatively, 95.5% of Avient shares are owned by institutional investors. 1.3% of Ashland shares are owned by insiders. Comparatively, 0.9% of Avient shares are owned by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that endowments, large money managers and hedge funds believe a stock will outperform the market over the long term.

Ashland pays an annual dividend of $1.66 per share and has a dividend yield of 2.9%. Avient pays an annual dividend of $1.10 per share and has a dividend yield of 3.2%. Ashland pays out -10.8% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. Avient pays out 64.0% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. Both companies have healthy payout ratios and should be able to cover their dividend payments with earnings for the next several years. Ashland has raised its dividend for 16 consecutive years and Avient has raised its dividend for 1 consecutive years.

Summary

Avient beats Ashland on 13 of the 19 factors compared between the two stocks.

How does Ashland compare to Cabot?

Ashland (NYSE:ASH) and Cabot (NYSE:CBT) are both mid-cap basic materials companies, but which is the superior business? We will contrast the two businesses based on the strength of their valuation, media sentiment, profitability, analyst recommendations, institutional ownership, earnings, dividends and risk.

94.0% of Ashland shares are held by institutional investors. Comparatively, 93.2% of Cabot shares are held by institutional investors. 1.3% of Ashland shares are held by company insiders. Comparatively, 3.1% of Cabot shares are held by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that hedge funds, large money managers and endowments believe a company is poised for long-term growth.

Ashland has a beta of 0.4, meaning that its stock price is 60% less volatile than the broader market. Comparatively, Cabot has a beta of 0.78, meaning that its stock price is 22% less volatile than the broader market.

In the previous week, Ashland and Ashland both had 8 articles in the media. Cabot's average media sentiment score of 0.71 beat Ashland's score of -0.10 indicating that Cabot is being referred to more favorably in the news media.

Company	Very Positive	Positive	Neutral	Negative	Very Negative	Overall Sentiment
Ashland	1 Very Positive mention(s)	1 Positive mention(s)	5 Neutral mention(s)	0 Negative mention(s)	1 Very Negative mention(s)	Neutral
Cabot	5 Very Positive mention(s)	0 Positive mention(s)	2 Neutral mention(s)	0 Negative mention(s)	0 Very Negative mention(s)	Positive

Ashland pays an annual dividend of $1.66 per share and has a dividend yield of 2.9%. Cabot pays an annual dividend of $1.80 per share and has a dividend yield of 2.2%. Ashland pays out -10.8% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. Cabot pays out 34.0% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. Both companies have healthy payout ratios and should be able to cover their dividend payments with earnings for the next several years. Ashland has increased its dividend for 16 consecutive years and Cabot has increased its dividend for 14 consecutive years. Ashland is clearly the better dividend stock, given its higher yield and longer track record of dividend growth.

Cabot has a net margin of 7.97% compared to Ashland's net margin of -39.03%. Cabot's return on equity of 21.33% beat Ashland's return on equity.

Company	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Ashland	-39.03%	8.06%	3.33%
Cabot	7.97%	21.33%	9.48%

Ashland currently has a consensus target price of $62.78, suggesting a potential upside of 10.49%. Cabot has a consensus target price of $80.25, suggesting a potential downside of 3.77%. Given Ashland's stronger consensus rating and higher probable upside, research analysts plainly believe Ashland is more favorable than Cabot.

Company	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Ashland	2 Sell rating(s)	3 Hold rating(s)	6 Buy rating(s)	0 Strong Buy rating(s)	2.36
Cabot	1 Sell rating(s)	4 Hold rating(s)	1 Buy rating(s)	0 Strong Buy rating(s)	2.00

Cabot has higher revenue and earnings than Ashland. Ashland is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Cabot, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.

Company	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
Ashland	$1.82B	1.43	-$845M	-$15.42	N/A
Cabot	$3.71B	1.16	$331M	$5.29	15.76

Summary

Cabot beats Ashland on 10 of the 18 factors compared between the two stocks.

How does Ashland compare to H. B. Fuller?

Ashland (NYSE:ASH) and H. B. Fuller (NYSE:FUL) are both mid-cap basic materials companies, but which is the better stock? We will contrast the two businesses based on the strength of their analyst recommendations, media sentiment, institutional ownership, profitability, valuation, dividends, earnings and risk.

H. B. Fuller has higher revenue and earnings than Ashland. Ashland is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than H. B. Fuller, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.

Company	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
Ashland	$1.82B	1.43	-$845M	-$15.42	N/A
H. B. Fuller	$3.47B	0.94	$151.97M	$3.03	19.77

Ashland has a beta of 0.4, meaning that its stock price is 60% less volatile than the broader market. Comparatively, H. B. Fuller has a beta of 0.95, meaning that its stock price is 5% less volatile than the broader market.

94.0% of Ashland shares are held by institutional investors. Comparatively, 95.9% of H. B. Fuller shares are held by institutional investors. 1.3% of Ashland shares are held by insiders. Comparatively, 1.8% of H. B. Fuller shares are held by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that endowments, large money managers and hedge funds believe a stock will outperform the market over the long term.

Ashland presently has a consensus target price of $62.78, suggesting a potential upside of 10.49%. H. B. Fuller has a consensus target price of $65.50, suggesting a potential upside of 9.32%. Given Ashland's higher probable upside, equities analysts plainly believe Ashland is more favorable than H. B. Fuller.

Company	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Ashland	2 Sell rating(s)	3 Hold rating(s)	6 Buy rating(s)	0 Strong Buy rating(s)	2.36
H. B. Fuller	1 Sell rating(s)	2 Hold rating(s)	3 Buy rating(s)	1 Strong Buy rating(s)	2.57

In the previous week, Ashland had 8 more articles in the media than H. B. Fuller. MarketBeat recorded 8 mentions for Ashland and 0 mentions for H. B. Fuller. H. B. Fuller's average media sentiment score of 1.03 beat Ashland's score of -0.10 indicating that H. B. Fuller is being referred to more favorably in the news media.

Company	Overall Sentiment
Ashland	Neutral
H. B. Fuller	Positive

Ashland pays an annual dividend of $1.66 per share and has a dividend yield of 2.9%. H. B. Fuller pays an annual dividend of $0.98 per share and has a dividend yield of 1.6%. Ashland pays out -10.8% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. H. B. Fuller pays out 32.3% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. Both companies have healthy payout ratios and should be able to cover their dividend payments with earnings for the next several years. Ashland has raised its dividend for 16 consecutive years and H. B. Fuller has raised its dividend for 57 consecutive years. Ashland is clearly the better dividend stock, given its higher yield and lower payout ratio.

H. B. Fuller has a net margin of 4.62% compared to Ashland's net margin of -39.03%. H. B. Fuller's return on equity of 11.84% beat Ashland's return on equity.

Company	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Ashland	-39.03%	8.06%	3.33%
H. B. Fuller	4.62%	11.84%	4.52%

Summary

H. B. Fuller beats Ashland on 14 of the 20 factors compared between the two stocks.

How does Ashland compare to Celanese?

Celanese (NYSE:CE) and Ashland (NYSE:ASH) are both mid-cap basic materials companies, but which is the better stock? We will contrast the two companies based on the strength of their dividends, analyst recommendations, institutional ownership, risk, valuation, earnings, profitability and media sentiment.

Celanese has a net margin of -11.54% compared to Ashland's net margin of -39.03%. Celanese's return on equity of 9.92% beat Ashland's return on equity.

Company	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Celanese	-11.54%	9.92%	2.12%
Ashland	-39.03%	8.06%	3.33%

Celanese currently has a consensus target price of $67.81, suggesting a potential upside of 14.10%. Ashland has a consensus target price of $62.78, suggesting a potential upside of 10.49%. Given Celanese's stronger consensus rating and higher probable upside, equities analysts clearly believe Celanese is more favorable than Ashland.

Company	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Celanese	1 Sell rating(s)	7 Hold rating(s)	10 Buy rating(s)	0 Strong Buy rating(s)	2.50
Ashland	2 Sell rating(s)	3 Hold rating(s)	6 Buy rating(s)	0 Strong Buy rating(s)	2.36

98.9% of Celanese shares are held by institutional investors. Comparatively, 94.0% of Ashland shares are held by institutional investors. 0.3% of Celanese shares are held by insiders. Comparatively, 1.3% of Ashland shares are held by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that hedge funds, large money managers and endowments believe a stock is poised for long-term growth.

Ashland has lower revenue, but higher earnings than Celanese. Celanese is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Ashland, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.

Company	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
Celanese	$9.54B	0.68	-$1.17B	-$10.01	N/A
Ashland	$1.82B	1.43	-$845M	-$15.42	N/A

In the previous week, Celanese had 11 more articles in the media than Ashland. MarketBeat recorded 19 mentions for Celanese and 8 mentions for Ashland. Celanese's average media sentiment score of 0.26 beat Ashland's score of -0.10 indicating that Celanese is being referred to more favorably in the media.

Company	Very Positive	Positive	Neutral	Negative	Very Negative	Overall Sentiment
Celanese	2 Very Positive mention(s)	3 Positive mention(s)	8 Neutral mention(s)	3 Negative mention(s)	0 Very Negative mention(s)	Neutral
Ashland	1 Very Positive mention(s)	1 Positive mention(s)	5 Neutral mention(s)	0 Negative mention(s)	1 Very Negative mention(s)	Neutral

Celanese has a beta of 0.81, meaning that its stock price is 19% less volatile than the broader market. Comparatively, Ashland has a beta of 0.4, meaning that its stock price is 60% less volatile than the broader market.

Celanese pays an annual dividend of $0.12 per share and has a dividend yield of 0.2%. Ashland pays an annual dividend of $1.66 per share and has a dividend yield of 2.9%. Celanese pays out -1.2% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. Ashland pays out -10.8% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. Both companies have healthy payout ratios and should be able to cover their dividend payments with earnings for the next several years. Ashland has raised its dividend for 16 consecutive years. Ashland is clearly the better dividend stock, given its higher yield and longer track record of dividend growth.

Summary

Celanese beats Ashland on 11 of the 19 factors compared between the two stocks.

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New MarketBeat Followers Over Time

This chart shows the number of new MarketBeat users adding ASH and its top 5 competitors to their watchlist. Each company is represented with a line over a 90 day period.

Media Sentiment Over Time

This chart shows the average media sentiment of NYSE and its competitors over the past 90 days as caculated by MarketBeat. The averaged score is equivalent to the following: Very Negative Sentiment <= -1.5, Negative Sentiment > -1.5 and <= -0.5, Neutral Sentiment > -0.5 and < 0.5, Positive Sentiment >= 0.5 and < 1.5, and Very Positive Sentiment >= 1.5.

ASH vs. The Competition

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Metric	Ashland	CHEM Industry	Materials Sector	NYSE Exchange
Market Cap	$2.60B	$15.09B	$4.96B	$23.00B
Dividend Yield	2.93%	1.98%	4.97%	4.07%
P/E Ratio	-3.68	36.03	23.69	28.42
Price / Sales	1.43	2.52	7,335.62	23.83
Price / Cash	2.34	14.92	27.65	25.11
Price / Book	1.39	4.34	6.98	4.76
Net Income	-$845M	$375.10M	$159.16M	$1.06B
7 Day Performance	4.19%	0.42%	1.78%	-0.64%
1 Month Performance	2.67%	1.29%	2.38%	1.84%
1 Year Performance	9.48%	20.99%	85.30%	24.87%

Ashland Competitors List

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Company	MarketRank	Share Price	Analysts' Price Target	1Y Price Performance	Market Cap	Revenue	P/E Ratio	Employee Count	Indicator(s)
ASH Ashland	3.0979 of 5 stars	$56.82 +0.6%	$62.78 +10.5%	+8.4%	$2.60B	$1.82B	N/A	2,900
ALB Albemarle	2.9771 of 5 stars	$190.71 -1.6%	$183.00 -4.0%	+225.2%	$22.86B	$5.14B	N/A	7,800	Analyst Forecast
AVNT Avient	4.615 of 5 stars	$35.56 -3.3%	$47.00 +32.2%	-11.6%	$3.37B	$3.26B	39.96	9,000	Earnings Report
CBT Cabot	3.2623 of 5 stars	$75.80 -2.0%	$73.75 -2.7%	+8.6%	$4.04B	$3.71B	13.27	4,100	Analyst Forecast
FUL H. B. Fuller	4.7104 of 5 stars	$58.37 -2.6%	$65.50 +12.2%	+4.3%	$3.27B	$3.47B	19.26	7,100	Positive News

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This page (NYSE:ASH) was last updated on 5/14/2026 by MarketBeat.com Staff.

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Ashland (ASH) Competitors