Newport Trust Company LLC Reduces Stake in Ashland Inc. $ASH

Newport Trust Company LLC lowered its stake in Ashland Inc. (NYSE:ASH) by 3.1% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 518,393 shares of the basic materials company’s stock after selling 16,731 shares during the quarter. Newport Trust Company LLC owned approximately 1.13% of Ashland worth $24,836,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Campbell & CO Investment Adviser LLC purchased a new position in Ashland during the third quarter valued at approximately $3,067,000. Vontobel Holding Ltd. boosted its holdings in Ashland by 95.7% in the 2nd quarter. Vontobel Holding Ltd. now owns 7,853 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $395,000 after purchasing an additional 3,841 shares during the period. Oak Thistle LLC boosted its holdings in Ashland by 171.0% in the 3rd quarter. Oak Thistle LLC now owns 30,211 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $1,447,000 after purchasing an additional 19,063 shares during the period. LSV Asset Management purchased a new position in shares of Ashland during the 2nd quarter valued at $317,000. Finally, Atlantic Investment Management Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Ashland by 137.1% in the second quarter. Atlantic Investment Management Inc. now owns 296,320 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $14,899,000 after purchasing an additional 171,320 shares during the period. 93.95% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Ashland News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Ashland this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Shareholders approved directors, the auditor and executive pay at Ashland’s annual meeting (≈90.94% support), reducing near‑term governance uncertainty and supporting investor confidence. Ashland Shareholders Approve Directors, Auditor and Executive Pay
• Neutral Sentiment: ICE plans to buy a 500,000 sq. ft. warehouse near Ashland for an immigration detention facility — a notable regional development but unlikely to affect Ashland Inc.’s corporate operations or near‑term earnings. ICE to purchase 500,000-square-foot warehouse near Ashland for immigration detention facility
• Neutral Sentiment: Local community and municipal items (new Grocery Outlet opening, parks & recreation director resignation, local weather and sports coverage) were reported but are not company‑specific and are unlikely to move ASH fundamentals. Examples include a new Grocery Outlet in Ashland and the parks director resignation. New Grocery Outlet Opens in Ashland with Discounts and Community Support
• Neutral Sentiment: Weather and local event coverage (winter storm tips, forecasts) could cause short, localized logistics disruptions but no direct impact on Ashland Inc.’s corporate outlook was reported. Ashland County weather forecast Friday calls for breezy and very cold

Ashland Stock Up 0.4%

Shares of ASH opened at $63.33 on Friday. Ashland Inc. has a 1 year low of $45.21 and a 1 year high of $72.33. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.73, a current ratio of 2.85 and a quick ratio of 1.51. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $58.38 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $53.87. The firm has a market cap of $2.90 billion, a P/E ratio of -3.45, a P/E/G ratio of 1.07 and a beta of 0.43.

Ashland (NYSE:ASH) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, November 4th. The basic materials company reported $1.08 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.17 by ($0.09). The business had revenue of $477.00 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $481.97 million. Ashland had a positive return on equity of 7.07% and a negative net margin of 46.25%.The company’s revenue was down 8.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $1.26 earnings per share. On average, analysts forecast that Ashland Inc. will post 4.27 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Ashland Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Sunday, March 15th. Stockholders of record on Sunday, March 1st will be issued a $0.415 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 27th. This represents a $1.66 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.6%. Ashland’s payout ratio is currently -9.05%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms recently issued reports on ASH. Zacks Research lowered Ashland from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research note on Friday, October 24th. Evercore ISI dropped their price target on Ashland from $62.00 to $53.00 and set an “in-line” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, November 11th. UBS Group boosted their price objective on Ashland from $64.00 to $70.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, January 12th. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Ashland from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, November 22nd. Finally, Mizuho lifted their target price on shares of Ashland from $60.00 to $70.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, December 18th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, three have given a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $65.13.

Ashland Profile

Ashland Inc is a global specialty chemicals company that develops, manufactures and supplies a broad range of performance and process-critical additives, ingredients and technologies. Its portfolio spans performance additives for coatings, adhesives and sealants; specialty ingredients for personal care and pharmaceutical applications; and process aids used in water treatment and other industrial processes. Ashland aims to address customer challenges by delivering tailored solutions that improve product performance, processing efficiency and sustainability outcomes.

Founded in 1924 as the Ashland Oil & Refining Company, the firm gradually expanded into the specialty chemicals sector over the second half of the 20th century.