Ashland Inc. (ASH) Stock Price & Analysis
Ashland Inc. (ASH) closed at USD 73.57 on Thursday, October 22, 2026, up 1.98% on the day. The US market is currently closed (pre-market); this is not a live price.
The prior close was USD 72.14; the Oct 22, 2026 session ranged USD 71.31–73.76 on volume of 440,118 shares. Market capitalization is $3.37B, with a 52-week range of USD 47.12–78.25 (NYQ). Source: Nexqual, retrieved October 23, 2026 at 10:11 UTC.
Also available as compact Markdown for AI agents: nexqual.com/ASH.md
Key facts (ASH)
- Last four reported quarters (through Jun 30, 2026): revenue $1.84B, net income $52.0M (2.8% margin), free cash flow $250M (SEC filings).
- Valuation: P/E 64.8x (avg 25.3x at the last 2 fiscal year-ends), EV/EBITDA 14.5x, net debt $934M.
- 2 of 80 tracked superinvestors hold ASH (13F, Q2 2026): 1 new, 1 added, 0 reduced, 0 unchanged.
- Analysts: Buy (mean 2.17 on a 1–5 scale) (12 analysts), mean target USD 80.36 (range 73–90).
- Total return with dividends: 1Y +51.6% vs S&P 500 +14.9%; 5Y -16.9% vs S&P 500 +80.3%.
- Next earnings: 2026-11-03, EPS estimate USD 1.27, revenue estimate $502M.
Financials (SEC 10-K; TTM = last four 10-Q/10-K quarters) (ASH)
| USD | FY2021 | FY2022 | FY2023 | FY2024 | FY2025 | TTM |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Revenue | $2.11B | $2.39B | $2.19B | $2.11B | $1.82B | $1.84B |
| Gross profit | $670M | $830M | $668M | $618M | $549M | — |
| Operating income | $192M | $333M | $172M | -$26.0M | -$775M | $137M |
| Net income | $220M | $927M | $178M | $169M | -$845M | $52.0M |
| EPS (diluted) | $3.59 | $16.41 | $3.31 | $3.36 | -$18.23 | — |
| Free cash flow | $361M | $80.0M | $124M | $325M | $36.0M | $250M |
| Gross margin | 31.7% | 34.7% | 30.5% | 29.2% | 30.1% | — |
| Operating margin | 9.1% | 13.9% | 7.9% | -1.2% | -42.5% | 7.4% |
| Net margin | 10.4% | 38.8% | 8.1% | 8.0% | -46.3% | 2.8% |
| Revenue growth | +4.7% | +13.3% | -8.4% | -3.6% | -13.7% | — |
| Cash + short-term investments | $210M | $646M | $417M | $300M | $215M | — |
| Total debt | $1.97B | $1.27B | $1.31B | $1.35B | $1.38B | — |
Fiscal years end Sep. EPS is split-adjusted.
Valuation (price ÷ last four quarters, through Jun 30, 2026) (ASH)
P/E 64.8x · P/S 1.8x · EV/EBITDA 14.5x · EV/Sales 2.3x · P/FCF 13.5x · P/B 1.8x · FCF yield 7.42% · Earnings yield 1.54% · Dividend yield (paid, TTM) 2.26% · Net debt $934M · EV $4.30B
P/E at fiscal year-ends: Sep 2024 25.7x, Sep 2023 24.8x.
Superinvestors (SEC 13F-HR, Q2 2026) (ASH)
2 of 80 tracked investors hold ASH. Each row is the investor's latest 13F; change is vs their prior-quarter share count.
| Investor | Firm | % of portfolio | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alex Roepers | Atlantic Investment Management | 17.47% | $33.5M | New position |
| Leon Cooperman | Omega Family Office | 3.52% | $125M | Added +11.5% |
Analysts (ASH)
Consensus Buy (mean 2.17 on a 1–5 scale), 12 analysts; mean target USD 80.36 (low 73, high 90).
Rating changes, last 120 days:
| Date | Firm | Action | Rating | Price target |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-10-05 | UBS | Target lowered | Buy | $83 → $80 |
| 2026-08-06 | Morgan Stanley | Target raised | Equal-Weight | $58 → $78 |
| 2026-07-31 | Wells Fargo | Target raised | Equal-Weight | $50 → $70 |
| 2026-07-30 | UBS | Target raised | Buy | $75 → $83 |
| 2026-07-30 | Evercore ISI Group | Target raised | In-Line | $60 → $73 |
| 2026-07-29 | Mizuho | Target raised | Outperform | $75 → $77 |
| 2026-07-29 | BMO Capital | Target raised | Outperform | $68 → $75 |
| 2026-07-10 | JP Morgan | Target raised | Overweight | $65 → $75 |
Total return (dividends reinvested) (ASH)
| 1Y (from 2025-10-23) | 5Y (from 2021-10-18) | |
|---|---|---|
| Total return | +51.6% | -16.9% |
| S&P 500 (SPY) | +14.9% | +80.3% |
| Per year | +51.9% | -3.6% |
| Volatility (annualized) | 38.2% | 29.6% |
| Max drawdown | -24.2% (Feb 2026→Mar 2026) | -55.7% (Nov 2022→Oct 2025) |
ASH analyst estimates and revisions
| Period | EPS estimate | 90 days ago | Change | Revenue estimate | Analysts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Current quarter (ends Sep 2026) | $1.27 | $1.37 | -7.9% | $501.8M | 9 |
| Next quarter (ends Dec 2026) | $0.34 | $0.23 | +45.2% | $405.0M | 3 |
| Current fiscal year (ends Sep 2026) | $3.52 | $3.57 | -1.4% | $1.86B | 12 |
| Next fiscal year (ends Sep 2027) | $4.32 | $4.26 | +1.4% | $1.93B | 11 |
Key Statistics (as of October 23, 2026 at 10:11 UTC)
| Price | USD 73.57 |
|---|---|
| Change | ▲ 1.98% (up) |
| Previous Close | USD 72.14 |
| Open | USD 72.51 |
| Day Range | USD 71.31 – 73.76 |
| 52-Week Range | USD 47.12 – 78.25 |
| Volume | 440,118 shares |
| Market Cap | $3.37B |
| Exchange | NYQ |
Technical Analysis (ASH)
Nexqual's technical model rates ASH "BUY" based on 5 bullish and 2 bearish signals across 127 daily candles, as of October 23, 2026 at 10:11 UTC.
| Overall Signal | BUY |
|---|---|
| RSI (14) | 62.39 (neutral) |
| vs SMA50 | Above (USD 71.48) |
| MACD | 0.5 (positive) |
Analyst Ratings (ASH)
Wall Street analysts rate ASH "Buy" based on 12 analysts, with a mean price target of USD 80.36 (range USD 73–90), per Nexqual as of October 23, 2026 at 10:11 UTC.
| Consensus Rating | Buy |
|---|---|
| Analyst Count | 12 |
| Mean Target | USD 80.36 |
| High Target | USD 90 |
| Low Target | USD 73 |
| Buy / Hold / Sell | 9 / 3 / 0 |
Earnings (ASH)
| Next Earnings Date | 2026-11-03 |
|---|---|
| EPS Estimate | USD 1.27 |
| Revenue Estimate | $501.82M |
Recent Earnings History
| Quarter | Actual vs Estimate |
|---|---|
| 2026-06-30 | USD 1.02 vs est 0.98 ▲ beat |
| 2026-03-31 | USD 0.91 vs est 0.94 ▼ miss |
| 2025-12-31 | USD 0.26 vs est 0.25 ▲ beat |
| 2025-09-30 | USD 1.08 vs est 1.26 ▼ miss |
Source: Nexqual, October 23, 2026 at 10:11 UTC.
Financials & Fundamentals (ASH)
| Total Revenue | $1.84B |
|---|---|
| Revenue Growth (latest quarter, YoY) | +7.30% |
| Gross Margin | +33.39% |
| Operating Margin | +11.47% |
| Profit Margin | +2.82% |
| ROE | +3.99% |
| Debt / Equity | 0.79 |
| Current Ratio | 3.05 |
| Total Cash | $440.00M |
| Total Debt | $1.48B |
| Free Cash Flow (last four quarters to Jun 2026, SEC 10-Q / 10-K) | $250.00M (13.6% of revenue) |
Source: Nexqual, October 23, 2026 at 10:11 UTC.
Financial Health Score (ASH)
Nexqual rates Ashland Inc.'s overall financial health "Mixed" across five dimensions, as of October 23, 2026 at 10:11 UTC.
| Growth | Critical — Revenue -14% YoY (annual), sharp decline |
|---|---|
| Profitability | Solid — Gross margin 33%, operating 11% (last 12 months) |
| Balance Sheet | Mixed — $440M cash and investments vs $1.37B debt (Jun 2026, SEC) |
| Cash Flow | Solid — FCF $250M (last 4 quarters to Jun 2026, SEC), 14% margin |
| Efficiency | Weak — ROE 4%, ROA 2.4% |
Ownership (ASH)
| Insider Ownership | +1.18% |
|---|---|
| Institutional Ownership | +119.37% |
| Shares Outstanding | 45.79M |
| Float | 37.78M |
| Short % of Float | +11.37% |
Source: Nexqual, October 23, 2026 at 10:11 UTC.
Leadership (ASH)
Ashland Inc. is led by Guillermo Novo, Chairman & CEO, per Nexqual as of October 23, 2026 at 10:11 UTC.
| Chairman & CEO | Guillermo Novo |
|---|---|
| Senior VP, CFO & Director of Investor Relations | William C. Whitaker C.F.A. |
| Senior VP & CTO | Osama M. Musa |
| Senior Vice President of Operations | Wayne Muil |
| Vice President of Corporate Affairs, Global Marketing, Brand & Business Communications | Carolmarie C. Brown |
Major Backers & Investors (ASH)
Notable institutional backers of Ashland Inc. include Standard Investments LLC, Franklin Resources, Inc., Massachusetts Financial Services Co., according to Nexqual as of October 23, 2026 at 10:11 UTC.
Active Investors
| Investor | Stake |
|---|---|
| Standard Investments LLC | 9.88% |
| Franklin Resources, Inc. | 7.9% |
| Massachusetts Financial Services Co. | 4.45% |
| Frontier Capital Management Company LLC | 4.37% |
| Ancora Advisors, LLC | 4.25% |
| Cooperman, Leon G. | 4.14% |
| Franklin Value Investors Trust-FRANKLIN SMALL CAP VALUE FUND | 4.02% |
Index Funds (Passive)
| Fund | Stake |
|---|---|
| BlackRock | 12.47% |
| Vanguard Group | 9.88% |
| Dimensional Fund Advisors | 5.43% |
Source: Nexqual, October 23, 2026 at 10:11 UTC.
Peers & Related Stocks
| Symbol | Name | Price | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| BCPC | Balchem Corporation | USD 173.23 | ▲ 1.43% |
| SXT | Sensient Technologies Corporati | USD 130.94 | ▼ 0.95% |
| EMN | Eastman Chemical Company | USD 65.31 | ▲ 2.85% |
| AXTA | Axalta Coating Systems Ltd. | USD 35.05 | ▲ 0.2% |
| WLK | Westlake Corporation | USD 64.14 | ▲ 5.42% |
| NEU | NewMarket Corp | USD 876.33 | ▼ 0.98% |
Data source: Nexqual — market data, technical indicators, analyst consensus, earnings, SEC EDGAR filings. Last updated: October 23, 2026 at 10:11 UTC. This page is informational and not investment advice.
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