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Ashland (ASH) Competitors

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$72.97 +0.15 (+0.21%)
As of 08/21/2026 03:58 PM Eastern

ASH vs. ALB, CBT, SOLS, ESI, and NEU

Should you buy Ashland stock or one of its competitors? Ashland's main competitors and comparable companies include Albemarle (ALB), Cabot (CBT), Solstice Advanced Mat (SOLS), Element Solutions (ESI), and NewMarket (NEU). Companies are selected based on similarities in market, industry, and size. These companies are all part of the "chemicals" industry.

How does Ashland compare to Albemarle?

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

Ashland currently has a consensus target price of $73.90, indicating a potential upside of 1.27%. Albemarle has a consensus target price of $190.26, indicating a potential upside of 33.06%. Given Albemarle's higher probable upside, analysts clearly believe Albemarle is more favorable than Ashland.

Company Sell Ratings Hold Ratings Buy Ratings Strong Buy Ratings Rating Score
Ashland
0 Sell rating(s)
5 Hold rating(s)
7 Buy rating(s)
0 Strong Buy rating(s)
2.58
Albemarle
1 Sell rating(s)
10 Hold rating(s)
15 Buy rating(s)
0 Strong Buy rating(s)
2.54

Albemarle has a net margin of 3.09% compared to Ashland's net margin of 2.82%. Albemarle's return on equity of 10.96% beat Ashland's return on equity.

Company Net Margins Return on Equity Return on Assets
Ashland2.82% 8.03% 3.31%
Albemarle 3.09%10.96%5.39%

94.0% of Ashland shares are held by institutional investors. Comparatively, 92.9% of Albemarle shares are held by institutional investors. 1.3% of Ashland shares are held by insiders. Comparatively, 0.4% of Albemarle shares are held 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 pays an annual dividend of $1.68 per share and has a dividend yield of 2.3%. Albemarle pays an annual dividend of $1.62 per share and has a dividend yield of 1.1%. Ashland pays out 147.4% of its earnings in the form of a dividend, suggesting it may not have sufficient earnings to cover its dividend payment in the future. Albemarle pays out 600.0% of its earnings in the form of a dividend, suggesting it may not have sufficient earnings to cover its dividend payment in the future. Ashland has raised its dividend for 16 consecutive years and Albemarle has raised its dividend for 30 consecutive years. Ashland is clearly the better dividend stock, given its higher yield and lower payout ratio.

In the previous week, Albemarle had 10 more articles in the media than Ashland. MarketBeat recorded 17 mentions for Albemarle and 7 mentions for Ashland. Albemarle's average media sentiment score of 1.37 beat Ashland's score of 0.56 indicating that Albemarle is being referred to more favorably in the news media.

Company Very Positive Positive Neutral Negative Very Negative Overall Sentiment
Ashland
4 Very Positive mention(s)
0 Positive mention(s)
3 Neutral mention(s)
0 Negative mention(s)
0 Very Negative mention(s)
Positive
Albemarle
15 Very Positive mention(s)
1 Positive mention(s)
1 Neutral mention(s)
0 Negative mention(s)
0 Very Negative mention(s)
Positive

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

CompanyGross RevenuePrice/Sales RatioNet IncomeEarnings Per SharePrice/Earnings Ratio
Ashland$1.82B1.83-$845M$1.1464.01
Albemarle$5.14B3.28-$510.63M$0.27529.59

Ashland has a beta of 0.4, meaning that its stock price is 60% less volatile than the broader market. Comparatively, Albemarle has a beta of 1.33, meaning that its stock price is 33% more volatile than the broader market.

Summary

Albemarle 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 materials companies, but which is the superior stock? We will contrast the two businesses based on the strength of their risk, earnings, media sentiment, dividends, analyst recommendations, institutional ownership, valuation and profitability.

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

CompanyGross RevenuePrice/Sales RatioNet IncomeEarnings Per SharePrice/Earnings Ratio
Ashland$1.82B1.83-$845M$1.1464.01
Cabot$3.71B1.18$331M$3.5523.97

Ashland pays an annual dividend of $1.68 per share and has a dividend yield of 2.3%. Cabot pays an annual dividend of $1.89 per share and has a dividend yield of 2.2%. Ashland pays out 147.4% of its earnings in the form of a dividend, suggesting it may not have sufficient earnings to cover its dividend payment in the future. Cabot pays out 53.2% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. 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.

94.0% of Ashland shares are owned by institutional investors. Comparatively, 93.2% of Cabot shares are owned by institutional investors. 1.3% of Ashland shares are owned by insiders. Comparatively, 3.1% of Cabot shares are owned by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that hedge funds, endowments and large money managers believe a stock will outperform the market over the long term.

Cabot has a net margin of 5.23% compared to Ashland's net margin of 2.82%. Cabot's return on equity of 20.29% beat Ashland's return on equity.

Company Net Margins Return on Equity Return on Assets
Ashland2.82% 8.03% 3.31%
Cabot 5.23%20.29%9.01%

In the previous week, Ashland had 1 more articles in the media than Cabot. MarketBeat recorded 7 mentions for Ashland and 6 mentions for Cabot. Cabot's average media sentiment score of 1.42 beat Ashland's score of 0.56 indicating that Cabot is being referred to more favorably in the news media.

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

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 0.84, meaning that its stock price is 16% less volatile than the broader market.

Ashland presently has a consensus price target of $73.90, indicating a potential upside of 1.27%. Cabot has a consensus price target of $89.00, indicating a potential upside of 4.58%. Given Cabot's higher possible upside, analysts clearly believe Cabot is more favorable than Ashland.

Company Sell Ratings Hold Ratings Buy Ratings Strong Buy Ratings Rating Score
Ashland
0 Sell rating(s)
5 Hold rating(s)
7 Buy rating(s)
0 Strong Buy rating(s)
2.58
Cabot
1 Sell rating(s)
4 Hold rating(s)
2 Buy rating(s)
0 Strong Buy rating(s)
2.14

Summary

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

How does Ashland compare to Solstice Advanced Mat?

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

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

CompanyGross RevenuePrice/Sales RatioNet IncomeEarnings Per SharePrice/Earnings Ratio
Solstice Advanced Mat$3.89B2.30$237M$1.7731.73
Ashland$1.82B1.83-$845M$1.1464.01

Solstice Advanced Mat pays an annual dividend of $0.30 per share and has a dividend yield of 0.5%. Ashland pays an annual dividend of $1.68 per share and has a dividend yield of 2.3%. Solstice Advanced Mat pays out 16.9% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. Ashland pays out 147.4% of its earnings in the form of a dividend, suggesting it may not have sufficient earnings to cover its dividend payment in the future. Ashland has increased its dividend for 16 consecutive years. Ashland is clearly the better dividend stock, given its higher yield and longer track record of dividend growth.

94.0% of Ashland shares are owned by institutional investors. 0.1% of Solstice Advanced Mat shares are owned by insiders. Comparatively, 1.3% of Ashland shares are owned by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that endowments, hedge funds and large money managers believe a company will outperform the market over the long term.

Solstice Advanced Mat has a net margin of 5.13% compared to Ashland's net margin of 2.82%. Solstice Advanced Mat's return on equity of 14.28% beat Ashland's return on equity.

Company Net Margins Return on Equity Return on Assets
Solstice Advanced Mat5.13% 14.28% 4.82%
Ashland 2.82%8.03%3.31%

In the previous week, Ashland had 6 more articles in the media than Solstice Advanced Mat. MarketBeat recorded 7 mentions for Ashland and 1 mentions for Solstice Advanced Mat. Solstice Advanced Mat's average media sentiment score of 1.17 beat Ashland's score of 0.56 indicating that Solstice Advanced Mat is being referred to more favorably in the media.

Company Very Positive Positive Neutral Negative Very Negative Overall Sentiment
Solstice Advanced Mat
1 Very Positive mention(s)
0 Positive mention(s)
0 Neutral mention(s)
0 Negative mention(s)
0 Very Negative mention(s)
Positive
Ashland
4 Very Positive mention(s)
0 Positive mention(s)
3 Neutral mention(s)
0 Negative mention(s)
0 Very Negative mention(s)
Positive

Solstice Advanced Mat currently has a consensus target price of $78.25, suggesting a potential upside of 39.33%. Ashland has a consensus target price of $73.90, suggesting a potential upside of 1.27%. Given Solstice Advanced Mat's stronger consensus rating and higher probable upside, analysts plainly believe Solstice Advanced Mat is more favorable than Ashland.

Company Sell Ratings Hold Ratings Buy Ratings Strong Buy Ratings Rating Score
Solstice Advanced Mat
0 Sell rating(s)
3 Hold rating(s)
7 Buy rating(s)
1 Strong Buy rating(s)
2.82
Ashland
0 Sell rating(s)
5 Hold rating(s)
7 Buy rating(s)
0 Strong Buy rating(s)
2.58

Summary

Solstice Advanced Mat beats Ashland on 12 of the 18 factors compared between the two stocks.

How does Ashland compare to Element Solutions?

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

94.0% of Ashland shares are held by institutional investors. Comparatively, 92.3% of Element Solutions shares are held by institutional investors. 1.3% of Ashland shares are held by company insiders. Comparatively, 6.2% of Element Solutions shares are held by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that large money managers, hedge funds and endowments believe a company is poised for long-term growth.

Ashland presently has a consensus price target of $73.90, indicating a potential upside of 1.27%. Element Solutions has a consensus price target of $43.50, indicating a potential upside of 23.06%. Given Element Solutions' stronger consensus rating and higher probable upside, analysts clearly believe Element Solutions is more favorable than Ashland.

Company Sell Ratings Hold Ratings Buy Ratings Strong Buy Ratings Rating Score
Ashland
0 Sell rating(s)
5 Hold rating(s)
7 Buy rating(s)
0 Strong Buy rating(s)
2.58
Element Solutions
0 Sell rating(s)
3 Hold rating(s)
5 Buy rating(s)
3 Strong Buy rating(s)
3.00

Ashland pays an annual dividend of $1.68 per share and has a dividend yield of 2.3%. Element Solutions pays an annual dividend of $0.32 per share and has a dividend yield of 0.9%. Ashland pays out 147.4% of its earnings in the form of a dividend, suggesting it may not have sufficient earnings to cover its dividend payment in the future. Element Solutions pays out 43.2% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. Ashland has increased its dividend for 16 consecutive years. Ashland is clearly the better dividend stock, given its higher yield and longer track record of dividend growth.

Element Solutions has a net margin of 5.67% compared to Ashland's net margin of 2.82%. Element Solutions' return on equity of 14.88% beat Ashland's return on equity.

Company Net Margins Return on Equity Return on Assets
Ashland2.82% 8.03% 3.31%
Element Solutions 5.67%14.88%7.51%

Ashland has a beta of 0.4, meaning that its stock price is 60% less volatile than the broader market. Comparatively, Element Solutions has a beta of 1.26, meaning that its stock price is 26% more volatile than the broader market.

In the previous week, Element Solutions had 1 more articles in the media than Ashland. MarketBeat recorded 8 mentions for Element Solutions and 7 mentions for Ashland. Element Solutions' average media sentiment score of 1.71 beat Ashland's score of 0.56 indicating that Element Solutions is being referred to more favorably in the news media.

Company Very Positive Positive Neutral Negative Very Negative Overall Sentiment
Ashland
4 Very Positive mention(s)
0 Positive mention(s)
3 Neutral mention(s)
0 Negative mention(s)
0 Very Negative mention(s)
Positive
Element Solutions
7 Very Positive mention(s)
0 Positive mention(s)
0 Neutral mention(s)
0 Negative mention(s)
0 Very Negative mention(s)
Very Positive

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

CompanyGross RevenuePrice/Sales RatioNet IncomeEarnings Per SharePrice/Earnings Ratio
Ashland$1.82B1.83-$845M$1.1464.01
Element Solutions$2.55B3.38$190.80M$0.7447.77

Summary

Element Solutions beats Ashland on 14 of the 20 factors compared between the two stocks.

How does Ashland compare to NewMarket?

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

61.1% of NewMarket shares are held by institutional investors. Comparatively, 94.0% of Ashland shares are held by institutional investors. 8.6% of NewMarket shares are held by company insiders. Comparatively, 1.3% of Ashland shares are held by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that large money managers, endowments and hedge funds believe a company is poised for long-term growth.

NewMarket pays an annual dividend of $12.00 per share and has a dividend yield of 1.3%. Ashland pays an annual dividend of $1.68 per share and has a dividend yield of 2.3%. NewMarket pays out 25.8% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. Ashland pays out 147.4% of its earnings in the form of a dividend, suggesting it may not have sufficient earnings to cover its dividend payment in the future. NewMarket has raised its dividend for 7 consecutive years and 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.

NewMarket has a beta of 0.56, suggesting that its stock price is 44% less volatile than the broader market. Comparatively, Ashland has a beta of 0.4, suggesting that its stock price is 60% less volatile than the broader market.

NewMarket has a net margin of 15.80% compared to Ashland's net margin of 2.82%. NewMarket's return on equity of 24.62% beat Ashland's return on equity.

Company Net Margins Return on Equity Return on Assets
NewMarket15.80% 24.62% 12.51%
Ashland 2.82%8.03%3.31%

In the previous week, Ashland had 1 more articles in the media than NewMarket. MarketBeat recorded 7 mentions for Ashland and 6 mentions for NewMarket. NewMarket's average media sentiment score of 1.51 beat Ashland's score of 0.56 indicating that NewMarket is being referred to more favorably in the media.

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

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

CompanyGross RevenuePrice/Sales RatioNet IncomeEarnings Per SharePrice/Earnings Ratio
NewMarket$2.73B3.17$418.75M$46.4820.21
Ashland$1.82B1.83-$845M$1.1464.01

Ashland has a consensus price target of $73.90, indicating a potential upside of 1.27%. Given Ashland's higher probable upside, analysts plainly believe Ashland is more favorable than NewMarket.

Company Sell Ratings Hold Ratings Buy Ratings Strong Buy Ratings Rating Score
NewMarket
0 Sell rating(s)
0 Hold rating(s)
1 Buy rating(s)
0 Strong Buy rating(s)
3.00
Ashland
0 Sell rating(s)
5 Hold rating(s)
7 Buy rating(s)
0 Strong Buy rating(s)
2.58

Summary

NewMarket beats Ashland on 12 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.
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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.
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ASH vs. The Competition

MetricAshlandChemicals IndustryMaterials SectorNYSE Exchange
Market Cap$3.33B$11.64B$5.13B$24.31B
Dividend Yield2.31%2.85%4.69%3.70%
P/E Ratio64.0141.3026.5930.24
Price / Sales1.8347.844,771.3620.95
Price / Cash3.0015.3227.3032.49
Price / Book1.793.748.966.77
Net Income-$845M$222.46M$154.93M$1.07B
7 Day Performance-0.98%0.63%2.58%-0.65%
1 Month Performance9.64%3.47%10.17%3.38%
1 Year Performance29.30%21.00%45.55%14.90%

Ashland Competitors List

CompanyMarketRankShare PriceAnalysts' Price Target1Y Price PerformanceMarket CapRevenueP/E RatioEmployee CountIndicator(s)
ASH
Ashland
3.4213 of 5 stars
$72.97
+0.2%
$73.90
+1.3%
+29.3%$3.33B$1.82B64.012,900
ALB
Albemarle
3.6877 of 5 stars
$134.22
-1.4%
$190.26
+41.8%
+75.9%$16.07B$5.14B497.137,800
CBT
Cabot
3.74 of 5 stars
$86.44
-1.6%
$89.00
+3.0%
+2.5%$4.54B$3.71B24.354,100
SOLS
Solstice Advanced Mat
4.3731 of 5 stars
$62.55
-0.2%
$78.25
+25.1%
N/A$9.95B$3.89B35.344,100
ESI
Element Solutions
4.6413 of 5 stars
$39.26
+1.2%
$43.50
+10.8%
+36.7%$9.46B$2.55B53.055,200

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This page (NYSE:ASH) was last updated on 8/23/2026 by MarketBeat.com Staff.
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