Ashland (NYSE:ASH) Shares Gap Up on Analyst Upgrade

Ashland Inc. (NYSE:ASH)’s share price gapped up prior to trading on Wednesday after UBS Group raised their price target on the stock from $75.00 to $83.00. The stock had previously closed at $68.01, but opened at $73.00. UBS Group currently has a buy rating on the stock. Ashland shares last traded at $70.5030, with a volume of 186,752 shares trading hands.

Other equities research analysts also recently issued reports about the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price target on shares of Ashland from $65.00 to $75.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, July 10th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $60.00 price objective on shares of Ashland in a research note on Friday, May 1st. BMO Capital Markets raised their target price on shares of Ashland from $68.00 to $75.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday. Wolfe Research reaffirmed an “outperform” rating on shares of Ashland in a research note on Monday. Finally, Seaport Research Partners upgraded shares of Ashland from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $75.00 price target for the company in a report on Wednesday, May 6th. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, four have given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Ashland presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $67.40.

Trending Headlines about Ashland

Here are the key news stories impacting Ashland this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Ashland reached a cooperation agreement with activist investor Ancora, appointing two new directors. The settlement may reduce governance uncertainty and revive expectations that Ashland could pursue a sale or other strategic alternatives after pressure from Ancora and Cruiser Capital. Ashland announces appointment of two new directors
• Positive Sentiment: BMO Capital Markets raised its price target for ASH from $68 to $75 and reiterated an “outperform” rating. The new target implies modest additional upside from recent trading levels, reinforcing the view that operational improvements or strategic action could unlock value. BMO raises Ashland price target
• Positive Sentiment: Fiscal third-quarter sales benefited from volume growth across all business segments, while management highlighted continued efforts to improve cash generation and operating performance. Some analysts view Ashland as potentially undervalued following the quarter. Ashland Q3 sales beat estimates
• Neutral Sentiment: Institutional positioning was mixed, with 149 investors adding shares and 140 reducing positions in the latest reported quarter. This suggests divided views among large investors rather than a clear consensus.
• Negative Sentiment: Adjusted third-quarter EPS of $1.02 narrowly missed the $1.03 consensus estimate and declined from $1.04 a year earlier. Profitability remained under pressure despite stronger sales, and Ashland lowered its fiscal 2026 EPS-growth outlook. Ashland Q3 earnings call highlights

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Ashland

Several hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Fruth Investment Management acquired a new position in Ashland in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $210,000. GAMMA Investing LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Ashland by 38.0% during the second quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 1,005 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $66,000 after purchasing an additional 277 shares during the period. Alpine Woods Capital Investors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Ashland during the first quarter worth $205,000. Dayah Capital LLC bought a new stake in shares of Ashland in the first quarter worth $5,561,000. Finally, Paragon Private Wealth Management LLC increased its holdings in Ashland by 25.8% in the first quarter. Paragon Private Wealth Management LLC now owns 4,609 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $256,000 after purchasing an additional 946 shares during the period. 93.95% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Ashland Stock Down 0.2%

The firm has a market capitalization of $3.33 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 63.78, a P/E/G ratio of 2.37 and a beta of 0.41. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.73, a current ratio of 3.05 and a quick ratio of 1.78. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $64.31 and a two-hundred day moving average of $60.09.

Ashland (NYSE:ASH) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, April 28th. The basic materials company reported $0.91 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.97 by ($0.06). Ashland had a return on equity of 8.03% and a net margin of 2.82%.The company had revenue of $482.00 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $485.61 million. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $0.99 earnings per share. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up .6% compared to the same quarter last year. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Ashland Inc. will post 3.48 earnings per share for the current year.

Ashland Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 15th. Stockholders of record on Monday, June 1st were given a dividend of $0.42 per share. This represents a $1.68 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.3%. This is a positive change from Ashland’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.41. The ex-dividend date was Monday, June 1st. Ashland’s dividend payout ratio is 147.37%.

Ashland Company 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.