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Ashland (ASH) Competitors

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$69.68 +1.07 (+1.55%)
Closing price 10/2/2026 03:59 PM Eastern
Extended Trading
$69.54 -0.13 (-0.19%)
As of 10/2/2026 07:30 PM Eastern
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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?

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

Albemarle has a beta of 1.36, suggesting that its stock price is 36% more 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.

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

Albemarle pays an annual dividend of $1.64 per share and has a dividend yield of 1.6%. Ashland pays an annual dividend of $1.68 per share and has a dividend yield of 2.4%. Albemarle pays out 607.4% 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 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 has raised its dividend for 30 consecutive years and Ashland has raised its dividend for 16 consecutive years. Ashland is clearly the better dividend stock, given its higher yield and lower payout ratio.

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
Albemarle$5.14B2.40-$510.63M$0.27387.47
Ashland$1.82B1.75-$845M$1.1461.12

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
Albemarle3.09% 10.96% 5.39%
Ashland 2.82%8.03%3.31%

Albemarle presently has a consensus target price of $187.65, indicating a potential upside of 79.37%. Ashland has a consensus target price of $73.90, indicating a potential upside of 6.06%. Given Albemarle's higher possible upside, equities analysts clearly believe Albemarle is more favorable than Ashland.

Company Sell Ratings Hold Ratings Buy Ratings Strong Buy Ratings Rating Score
Albemarle
2 Sell rating(s)
9 Hold rating(s)
15 Buy rating(s)
0 Strong Buy rating(s)
2.50
Ashland
0 Sell rating(s)
5 Hold rating(s)
7 Buy rating(s)
0 Strong Buy rating(s)
2.58

In the previous week, Ashland had 2 more articles in the media than Albemarle. MarketBeat recorded 9 mentions for Ashland and 7 mentions for Albemarle. Ashland's average media sentiment score of 0.36 beat Albemarle's score of 0.25 indicating that Ashland is being referred to more favorably in the news media.

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

Summary

Albemarle beats Ashland on 11 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 business? We will contrast the two businesses based on the strength of their earnings, risk, valuation, dividends, institutional ownership, profitability, analyst recommendations and media sentiment.

Ashland pays an annual dividend of $1.68 per share and has a dividend yield of 2.4%. Cabot pays an annual dividend of $1.89 per share and has a dividend yield of 2.5%. 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. Cabot is clearly the better dividend stock, given its higher yield and lower payout ratio.

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%

Ashland has a beta of 0.4, suggesting that its share price is 60% less volatile than the broader market. Comparatively, Cabot has a beta of 0.83, suggesting that its share price is 17% less volatile than the broader market.

Ashland currently has a consensus price target of $73.90, suggesting a potential upside of 6.06%. Cabot has a consensus price target of $89.00, suggesting a potential upside of 15.37%. Given Cabot's higher probable 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

In the previous week, Ashland had 7 more articles in the media than Cabot. MarketBeat recorded 9 mentions for Ashland and 2 mentions for Cabot. Cabot's average media sentiment score of 0.51 beat Ashland's score of 0.36 indicating that Cabot is being referred to more favorably in the news media.

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

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 insiders. Comparatively, 3.1% of Cabot shares are held by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that hedge funds, large money managers and endowments believe a company will outperform the market over the long term.

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$1.82B1.75-$845M$1.1461.12
Cabot$3.71B1.07$331M$3.5521.73

Summary

Cabot beats Ashland on 12 of the 19 factors compared between the two stocks.

How does Ashland compare to Solstice Advanced Mat?

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

In the previous week, Solstice Advanced Mat had 4 more articles in the media than Ashland. MarketBeat recorded 13 mentions for Solstice Advanced Mat and 9 mentions for Ashland. Solstice Advanced Mat's average media sentiment score of 0.52 beat Ashland's score of 0.36 indicating that Solstice Advanced Mat is being referred to more favorably in the news media.

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

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
Ashland2.82% 8.03% 3.31%
Solstice Advanced Mat 5.13%14.28%4.82%

Ashland presently has a consensus price target of $73.90, suggesting a potential upside of 6.06%. Solstice Advanced Mat has a consensus price target of $78.56, suggesting a potential upside of 36.14%. Given Solstice Advanced Mat's stronger consensus rating and higher probable upside, analysts clearly believe Solstice Advanced Mat 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
Solstice Advanced Mat
0 Sell rating(s)
4 Hold rating(s)
8 Buy rating(s)
0 Strong Buy rating(s)
2.67

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
Ashland$1.82B1.75-$845M$1.1461.12
Solstice Advanced Mat$3.89B2.36$237M$1.7732.60

94.0% of Ashland shares are held by institutional investors. 1.3% of Ashland shares are held by insiders. Comparatively, 0.1% of Solstice Advanced Mat shares are held by 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 pays an annual dividend of $1.68 per share and has a dividend yield of 2.4%. Solstice Advanced Mat pays an annual dividend of $0.30 per share and has a dividend yield of 0.5%. 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. Solstice Advanced Mat pays out 16.9% 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.

Summary

Solstice Advanced Mat beats Ashland on 13 of the 18 factors compared between the two stocks.

How does Ashland compare to Element Solutions?

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

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
Element Solutions$2.55B3.62$190.80M$0.7451.23
Ashland$1.82B1.75-$845M$1.1461.12

Element Solutions currently has a consensus price target of $45.40, suggesting a potential upside of 19.76%. Ashland has a consensus price target of $73.90, suggesting a potential upside of 6.06%. Given Element Solutions' stronger consensus rating and higher probable upside, analysts plainly believe Element Solutions is more favorable than Ashland.

Company Sell Ratings Hold Ratings Buy Ratings Strong Buy Ratings Rating Score
Element Solutions
0 Sell rating(s)
2 Hold rating(s)
6 Buy rating(s)
3 Strong Buy rating(s)
3.09
Ashland
0 Sell rating(s)
5 Hold rating(s)
7 Buy rating(s)
0 Strong Buy rating(s)
2.58

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

Element Solutions pays an annual dividend of $0.32 per share and has a dividend yield of 0.8%. Ashland pays an annual dividend of $1.68 per share and has a dividend yield of 2.4%. Element Solutions pays out 43.2% 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 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.

In the previous week, Ashland had 7 more articles in the media than Element Solutions. MarketBeat recorded 9 mentions for Ashland and 2 mentions for Element Solutions. Ashland's average media sentiment score of 0.36 beat Element Solutions' score of 0.18 indicating that Ashland is being referred to more favorably in the news media.

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

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
Element Solutions5.67% 14.88% 7.51%
Ashland 2.82%8.03%3.31%

92.3% of Element Solutions shares are owned by institutional investors. Comparatively, 94.0% of Ashland shares are owned by institutional investors. 6.2% of Element Solutions shares are owned by company insiders. Comparatively, 1.3% of Ashland shares are owned 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.

Summary

Element Solutions beats Ashland on 12 of the 20 factors compared between the two stocks.

How does Ashland compare to NewMarket?

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

In the previous week, Ashland had 8 more articles in the media than NewMarket. MarketBeat recorded 9 mentions for Ashland and 1 mentions for NewMarket. NewMarket's average media sentiment score of 1.28 beat Ashland's score of 0.36 indicating that NewMarket is being referred to more favorably in the news media.

Company Very Positive Positive Neutral Negative Very Negative Overall Sentiment
Ashland
0 Very Positive mention(s)
1 Positive mention(s)
7 Neutral mention(s)
0 Negative mention(s)
1 Very Negative mention(s)
Neutral
NewMarket
1 Very Positive mention(s)
0 Positive mention(s)
0 Neutral mention(s)
0 Negative mention(s)
0 Very Negative mention(s)
Positive

94.0% of Ashland shares are owned by institutional investors. Comparatively, 61.1% of NewMarket shares are owned by institutional investors. 1.3% of Ashland shares are owned by insiders. Comparatively, 8.6% of NewMarket shares are owned 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 pays an annual dividend of $1.68 per share and has a dividend yield of 2.4%. NewMarket pays an annual dividend of $12.00 per share and has a dividend yield of 1.3%. 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 pays out 25.8% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. Ashland has increased its dividend for 16 consecutive years and NewMarket has increased its dividend for 7 consecutive years. Ashland is clearly the better dividend stock, given its higher yield and longer track record of dividend growth.

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
Ashland2.82% 8.03% 3.31%
NewMarket 15.80%24.62%12.51%

Ashland has a beta of 0.4, suggesting that its share price is 60% less volatile than the broader market. Comparatively, NewMarket has a beta of 0.55, suggesting that its share price is 45% less volatile than the broader market.

Ashland presently has a consensus price target of $73.90, suggesting a potential upside of 6.06%. Given Ashland's higher probable upside, research analysts plainly believe Ashland is more favorable than NewMarket.

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
NewMarket
0 Sell rating(s)
0 Hold rating(s)
1 Buy rating(s)
0 Strong Buy rating(s)
3.00

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
Ashland$1.82B1.75-$845M$1.1461.12
NewMarket$2.73B3.13$418.75M$46.4819.94

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$3.14B$10.89B$4.67B$22.65B
Dividend Yield2.47%2.95%4.75%3.72%
P/E Ratio61.1236.5625.1327.75
Price / Sales1.7355.5216,620.4020.71
Price / Cash2.8314.6624.9438.88
Price / Book1.673.1710.204.64
Net Income-$845M$225.75M$158.44M$1.08B
7 Day Performance0.78%-1.23%-2.68%-1.06%
1 Month Performance-4.91%-4.31%-5.08%-5.50%
1 Year Performance43.26%15.93%17.39%5.13%

Ashland Competitors List

CompanyMarketRankShare PriceAnalysts' Price Target1Y Price PerformanceMarket CapRevenueP/E RatioEmployee CountIndicator(s)
ASH
Ashland
3.589 of 5 stars
$69.68
+1.6%
$73.90
+6.1%
+43.7%$3.14B$1.84B61.122,900
ALB
Albemarle
3.8616 of 5 stars
$107.18
-2.3%
$188.09
+75.5%
+19.6%$12.95B$5.14B396.987,800
CBT
Cabot
3.5963 of 5 stars
$78.48
-0.4%
$89.00
+13.4%
+2.0%$4.07B$3.71B22.114,100
SOLS
Solstice Advanced Mat
4.7773 of 5 stars
$56.93
+0.5%
$79.11
+39.0%
N/A$9.00B$3.89B32.164,100
ESI
Element Solutions
4.3886 of 5 stars
$35.20
-1.4%
$45.70
+29.8%
+43.1%$8.70B$2.55B47.575,200

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This page (NYSE:ASH) was last updated on 10/3/2026 by MarketBeat.com Staff.
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