Ashland Inc. (ASH)

Over the last 12 months, Ashland's stock price decreased by 12.75%, with a 52-week range between $45.21 and $67.39, but in the past month, the stock has seen an increase of 3.96%. Key events impacting Ashland's stock include Q3 2025 earnings reporting a decrease in sales and adjusted EBITDA, along with a non-cash goodwill impairment. An earnings call was held for Q4 2025, and the company filed its Annual Report. Quarterly dividends were authorized in November 2025 and January 2026. Several brokerage firms updated their ratings and price targets for ASH, with some raising their targets and upgrading Ashland's rating. Ashland reported Q1 fiscal 2026 earnings per share (EPS) of $0.26, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.23. However, the company's revenue for the quarter was $386.00 million, below analyst estimates of $401.42 million, representing a 4.7% decrease year-over-year. The company also narrowed its full-year outlook. Recent weather-related events impacted operations in the Mid-Atlantic, leading to expected incremental costs.

Demand for some of Ashland's products exhibits seasonality. The recovery of demand for HEC (hydroxyethylcellulose) depends on a seasonal lift, with visibility into demand for April through September typically firming in March. The first fiscal quarter is also noted as a seasonally low quarter for cash generation.

Ashland, Inc. is a global specialty materials and additives and specialty ingredients company headquartered in Wilmington, Delaware, operating within the Basic Materials sector, specifically in the Chemicals industry. Ashland serves diverse consumer and industrial markets, including pharmaceuticals, personal care, food and beverage, architectural coatings, construction, energy, nutraceuticals, and automotive. Ashland's business is organized into four main segments: Life Sciences, Personal Care, Specialty Additives, and Intermediates. The Life Sciences segment offers pharmaceutical and nutrition solutions, as well as agricultural chemicals and diagnostic films. The Personal Care segment provides ingredients for products like toothpastes, mouthwashes, and household supplies. The Specialty Additives segment produces modifiers, agents, surfactants, neutralizers, and advanced ceramics. The Intermediates segment focuses on producing 1,4 butanediol and related derivatives.

Ashland, Inc. has a global presence, serving customers in over 100 countries. The company maintains a competitive and regional footprint, with its Microbial Protection segment well-positioned for growth. Its Care Ingredients segment has shown strength in the EMEA region and China. Ashland has also expanded its manufacturing and R&D lab facilities in Mullingar, Ireland, for pharmaceutical injectables, and its pharmaceutical manufacturing plant in Cabreúva, Brazil.

Ashland maintains a brand reputation as a premier specialty materials company with a conscious and proactive mindset for sustainability. The company emphasizes innovation, as demonstrated by its Innovation Day in 2025, where it showcased enhanced capabilities and expanded applications of its scalable technology platforms to analysts and investors. Ashland has also celebrated the expansion of its manufacturing and R&D labs in Ireland and Brazil, further solidifying its commitment to advancing its product offerings. In January 2026, Ashland announced an exclusive distribution partnership with Univar Solutions for cellulose ethers in the food and beverage sector across EMEA, aiming to meet rising demand for functional ingredients and drive innovation. While no specific negative events directly impacting brand reputation were found, the non-cash goodwill impairment reported in Q3 2025 could have indirectly affected investor perception.

Ashland Inc. has significant institutional ownership, with 691 institutional owners and shareholders holding a total of 56,936,058 shares. Major institutional owners include Vanguard Group Inc., BlackRock, Inc., Aqr Capital Management Llc., Massachusetts Financial Services Co /ma/, Dimensional Fund Advisors Lp., 40 North Management LLC, State Street Corp., and iShares Core S&P Mid-Cap ETF. Significant individual or insider owners include Harbinger Capital Partners Special Situations Fund LP, Harbert Management Corp, and Harbinger Capital Partners Master Fund I Ltd.