Ashland (NYSE:ASH) Releases Quarterly Earnings Results, Misses Expectations By $0.15 EPS

Ashland (NYSE:ASH) posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday. The basic materials company reported $1.12 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.27 by ($0.15), Zacks reports. The company had revenue of $996.00 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $501.76 million. Ashland had a net margin of 2.82% and a return on equity of 8.03%. Ashland’s revenue for the quarter was up 4.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $1.08 earnings per share.

Ashland Stock Performance

ASH opened at $72.97 on Wednesday. The company has a current ratio of 3.05, a quick ratio of 1.89 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.73. Ashland has a 12-month low of $47.12 and a 12-month high of $78.25. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $71.49 and a two-hundred day moving average of $63.97. The firm has a market capitalization of $3.34 billion, a PE ratio of 64.01, a P/E/G ratio of 1.89 and a beta of 0.36.

Ashland Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, September 15th. Investors of record on Tuesday, September 1st were issued a dividend of $0.42 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, September 1st. This represents a $1.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.3%. Ashland’s payout ratio is 147.37%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages recently issued reports on ASH. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft restated a “buy” rating and issued a $85.00 price target on shares of Ashland in a research report on Friday, July 31st. Wells Fargo & Company set a $75.00 target price on Ashland in a report on Friday, October 16th. Mizuho raised their price target on Ashland from $75.00 to $77.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 29th. Wolfe Research restated an “outperform” rating on shares of Ashland in a report on Monday, July 27th. Finally, Weiss Ratings raised shares of Ashland from a “hold (c-)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a research note on Friday, October 2nd. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and five have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $74.10.

Key Headlines Impacting Ashland

Here are the key news stories impacting Ashland this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Operating cash flow was $90 million and ongoing free cash flow was $74 million. Adjusted EBITDA rose 2% to $121 million, with strength in Life Sciences, Personal Care and Intermediates. Ashland fiscal 2026 results and fiscal 2027 outlook
• Neutral Sentiment: For fiscal 2027, Ashland forecast sales of $1.905 billion to $1.975 billion and adjusted EBITDA of $405 million to $435 million. The outlook gives investors a baseline to assess the company’s recovery and execution. Ashland fiscal 2026 results and fiscal 2027 outlook
• Negative Sentiment: Quarterly adjusted EPS was $1.12, below analysts’ roughly $1.27–$1.30 expectations. Sales of $498 million also fell short of estimates, despite rising 4% year over year; sales volumes increased 3%. Ashland reported a $16 million GAAP net loss, and lower earnings in Specialty Additives weighed on results. Ashland misses fourth-quarter estimates

Ashland Company Profile

Ashland Inc is a global specialty materials company that develops and supplies functional ingredients, additives and solutions for industrial and consumer markets. Its products are used to enhance the performance, stability, texture, appearance and processing of finished goods.

The company serves a range of industries, including pharmaceuticals, personal care, coatings, construction, food and beverages, adhesives and specialty chemicals. Its portfolio includes polymers, cellulose-based ingredients, rheology modifiers, film-forming agents, preservatives and other specialty additives used in applications such as drug delivery, skin and hair care, architectural coatings and building materials.

Ashland traces its roots to 1924, when it was established as Ashland Refining Company in Kentucky.