Ashland (NYSE:ASH) Stock Gets Price Target Boost from JPMorgan Chase & Co.

Ashland (NYSE:ASH) had its price objective boosted by analysts at JPMorgan Chase & Co. from $80.00 to $82.00 in a report issued on Thursday, Benzinga reports. The firm currently has an “overweight” rating on the basic materials company’s stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co.‘s price objective indicates a potential upside of 7.21% from the company’s previous close.

Several other research analysts have also recently weighed in on the company. Weiss Ratings upgraded Ashland from a “hold (c-)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a report on Friday, October 2nd. BMO Capital Markets lifted their price objective on Ashland from $68.00 to $75.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 29th. Mizuho lifted their price objective on Ashland from $75.00 to $77.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 29th. Zacks Research upgraded Ashland from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, July 16th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company set a $75.00 target price on Ashland in a research note on Friday, October 16th. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and five have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Ashland currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $74.80.

Ashland Price Performance

Shares of Ashland stock traded up $0.21 on Thursday, reaching $76.49. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 1,696,574 shares, compared to its average volume of 493,330. The company has a quick ratio of 1.89, a current ratio of 3.05 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.73. The company has a market capitalization of $3.50 billion, a P/E ratio of 956.08, a PEG ratio of 1.89 and a beta of 0.36. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $71.63 and a 200-day moving average price of $64.17. Ashland has a 52-week low of $48.00 and a 52-week high of $79.50.

Ashland (NYSE:ASH) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, November 3rd. The basic materials company reported $1.12 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.27 by ($0.15). Ashland had a net margin of 2.82% and a return on equity of 8.03%. The business had revenue of $996.00 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $501.76 million. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $1.08 EPS. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 4.2% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts expect that Ashland will post 4.21 EPS for the current year.

Institutional Trading of Ashland

A number of institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of ASH. Fulcrum Asset Management LLP purchased a new position in shares of Ashland during the third quarter worth about $68,000. Ethic Inc. boosted its position in shares of Ashland by 13.0% in the 3rd quarter. Ethic Inc. now owns 5,542 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $376,000 after purchasing an additional 639 shares during the period. Kestra Advisory Services LLC grew its stake in Ashland by 3.2% during the 3rd quarter. Kestra Advisory Services LLC now owns 5,311 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $361,000 after buying an additional 163 shares during the last quarter. Commonwealth Equity Services LLC grew its stake in Ashland by 0.7% during the 3rd quarter. Commonwealth Equity Services LLC now owns 19,983 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $1,357,000 after buying an additional 148 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Chicago Partners Investment Group LLC grew its stake in Ashland by 66.2% during the 3rd quarter. Chicago Partners Investment Group LLC now owns 7,937 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $579,000 after buying an additional 3,161 shares during the last quarter. 93.95% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Key Headlines Impacting Ashland

Here are the key news stories impacting Ashland this week:

• Positive Sentiment: JPMorgan raised its price target on Ashland from $80 to $82 and maintained an “overweight” rating, signaling confidence in the shares. JPMorgan rating information
• Neutral Sentiment: Ashland set fiscal 2027 targets of $1.905 billion to $1.975 billion in sales and $405 million to $435 million in adjusted EBITDA, while forecasting capital expenditures of up to $140 million. The targets provide forward guidance; higher capital spending could also affect cash flow. Fiscal 2027 targets

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.