Seaport Res Ptn Has Weak Outlook for Ashland FY2027 Earnings

Ashland Inc. (NYSE:ASH) – Analysts at Seaport Res Ptn decreased their FY2027 EPS estimates for shares of Ashland in a report issued on Wednesday, November 5th. Seaport Res Ptn analyst M. Harrison now anticipates that the basic materials company will post earnings of $4.83 per share for the year, down from their previous forecast of $5.38. The consensus estimate for Ashland’s current full-year earnings is $4.27 per share.

Ashland (NYSE:ASH) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, June 9th. The basic materials company reported $0.56 EPS for the quarter. The company had revenue of $509.00 million for the quarter. Ashland had a negative net margin of 46.01% and a positive return on equity of 6.82%. Ashland has set its FY 2022 guidance at EPS.

A number of other brokerages also recently issued reports on ASH. UBS Group lowered their price target on Ashland from $73.00 to $64.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, August 7th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “sell (d)” rating on shares of Ashland in a research note on Wednesday, October 8th. Morgan Stanley assumed coverage on shares of Ashland in a research note on Monday, September 8th. They issued an “equal weight” rating and a $60.00 price target on the stock. Argus reduced their price objective on shares of Ashland from $70.00 to $65.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, August 26th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price objective on shares of Ashland from $53.00 to $52.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, October 15th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, four have issued a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Ashland currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $60.43.

Ashland Price Performance

NYSE:ASH opened at $50.04 on Monday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.33, a current ratio of 2.68 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.73. Ashland has a 52 week low of $45.21 and a 52 week high of $81.86. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $50.31 and its 200-day moving average price is $51.28. The stock has a market capitalization of $2.29 billion, a PE ratio of -2.67, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 11.41 and a beta of 0.49.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Ashland

A number of large investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. AQR Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Ashland by 284.3% in 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 buying an additional 2,555,585 shares in the last quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA grew its stake in Ashland by 3.0% during the 2nd quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 2,847,326 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $143,164,000 after acquiring an additional 84,086 shares in the last quarter. Cooperman Leon G raised its holdings in Ashland by 16.6% in the 1st quarter. Cooperman Leon G now owns 1,694,151 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $100,446,000 after acquiring an additional 240,686 shares during the last quarter. Diamond Hill Capital Management Inc. lifted its stake in Ashland by 7.4% in the 1st quarter. Diamond Hill Capital Management Inc. now owns 1,683,627 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $99,822,000 after purchasing an additional 115,811 shares in the last quarter. Finally, 1832 Asset Management L.P. lifted its stake in Ashland by 11.7% in the 2nd quarter. 1832 Asset Management L.P. now owns 1,371,755 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $68,972,000 after purchasing an additional 143,230 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 93.95% of the company’s stock.

Ashland Company Profile

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.