What is Seaport Res Ptn’s Estimate for Ashland Q1 Earnings?

Ashland Inc. (NYSE:ASH) – Stock analysts at Seaport Res Ptn cut their Q1 2026 EPS estimates for Ashland in a report released on Wednesday, January 29th. Seaport Res Ptn analyst M. Harrison now forecasts that the basic materials company will post earnings per share of $0.62 for the quarter, down from their previous estimate of $0.78. The consensus estimate for Ashland’s current full-year earnings is $4.31 per share. Seaport Res Ptn also issued estimates for Ashland’s Q3 2026 earnings at $1.86 EPS and Q4 2026 earnings at $1.82 EPS.

Several other research firms have also issued reports on ASH. UBS Group reduced their target price on shares of Ashland from $95.00 to $93.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price objective on shares of Ashland from $90.00 to $80.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their target price on shares of Ashland from $81.00 to $68.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday. StockNews.com upgraded Ashland from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday. Finally, BMO Capital Markets boosted their price objective on Ashland from $83.00 to $84.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, December 11th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $95.57.

Ashland Stock Performance

Shares of ASH opened at $63.61 on Friday. Ashland has a 52 week low of $62.84 and a 52 week high of $102.50. The company has a quick ratio of 1.33, a current ratio of 2.44 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.47. The stock has a market cap of $3.00 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -96.37, a PEG ratio of 1.03 and a beta of 0.87. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $72.57 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $81.64.

Ashland (NYSE:ASH) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, January 28th. The basic materials company reported $0.28 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.79 by ($0.51). Ashland had a positive return on equity of 7.17% and a negative net margin of 1.12%. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $0.45 earnings per share.

Ashland Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Saturday, March 15th. Stockholders of record on Saturday, March 1st will be issued a $0.405 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 28th. This represents a $1.62 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.55%. Ashland’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is -245.45%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Ashland news, VP Eric N. Boni sold 451 shares of Ashland stock in a transaction on Thursday, December 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $78.07, for a total value of $35,209.57. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 14,182 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,107,188.74. This trade represents a 3.08 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, SVP Robin E. Lampkin sold 868 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, November 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $77.90, for a total transaction of $67,617.20. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president now owns 2,883 shares in the company, valued at approximately $224,585.70. This trade represents a 23.14 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 1.02% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Ashland

Institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. State of New Jersey Common Pension Fund D boosted its stake in shares of Ashland by 22.7% during the 4th quarter. State of New Jersey Common Pension Fund D now owns 27,480 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $1,964,000 after purchasing an additional 5,092 shares during the period. PUREfi Wealth LLC bought a new stake in Ashland in the fourth quarter worth about $325,000. Vontobel Holding Ltd. boosted its position in shares of Ashland by 11.4% during the fourth quarter. Vontobel Holding Ltd. now owns 3,541 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $253,000 after buying an additional 362 shares during the period. Savant Capital LLC bought a new position in shares of Ashland during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $344,000. Finally, Empowered Funds LLC raised its holdings in shares of Ashland by 36.5% in the fourth quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 36,103 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $2,580,000 after buying an additional 9,656 shares during the period. 93.95% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

About Ashland

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.