ASH Company Profile and Key Details

Ashland Inc. last paid a dividend of 1.67 per share, this equals a trailing yield of roughly 1.75%. Dividend and splits history remains an important factor for investors monitoring long-term returns. A discounted cash flow model estimates fair value at around $24.92. This means the shares are trading above this model’s fair value.

Ashland Inc. has 45.79 million shares outstanding. The public float is 37.78 million shares, elevated short interest at 11.86% of float. This equals 4.82 million shares. The short ratio is 7.71 days. Institutional investors hold 114.3% of the float. Insiders own 1.16%. Sandler Ricky C holds 4.08 million shares, EMINENCE CAPITAL, LP has 4.08 million shares and FERNANDEZ-MORENO LUIS M has 45.99 thousand shares.

Ashland Inc. (NYSE:ASH) closed at $69.06 USD, losing -$0.71 (-1.02%) from the previous close of $69.77. The stock is currently mid-range between its 52-week high and low $46.30 and $78.25. With a market capitalization of about $3.16 billion, Ashland Inc. is classified as a mid-cap and shows lower-than-market volatility (beta ~0.39). Key stats such as the average daily volume over the past year has been around 790.92 thousand shares, in line with its 52-week average. Headquartered in Wilmington, DE, Ashland Inc. operates in the Basic Materials sector and the Chemicals - Specialty industry. Led by CEO Guillermo Novo, the company employs approximately 2,900 people and listed since March 17, 1980. Ashland Inc. operates as a global supplier of specialized chemicals and additives.

Ashland Inc. generated EPS of -$15.01 over the past year. Five-year average earnings growth is -15.51%. Wall Street analysts project EPS growth of 16.84% annually over the next five years. The latest quarter delivered EPS of $1.02. The next quarter is forecast at $0.97. Next year's EPS is expected at $37.16. Analyst sentiment is bullish. Analyst rating data shows there are 9 Strong Buy ratings, 6 Buy ratings, 8 Hold ratings, 0 Sell rating and 0 Strong Sell ratings. Price targets range from $83.00 to $50.00. The high target offers 20.19% upside. The low target suggests -27.6% downside. The mean target is $65.83. This offers -4.68% upside. Ashland Inc. earnings surprise history is a mixed track record. The quarter that ended July 28, 2026, missed forecasts by 3.55%. The prior quarter beat by -6.19%. Over the last six quarters, Apple has recorded several small beats. These include -10.0% in April 30, 2025.

Ashland Inc. trades at a P/E ratio of 60.68, slightly above the S&P 500 average, with a price-to-sales ratio of 1.72 and a price-to-book ratio of 1.7 suggesting the stock is closer to book value. The P/FCF stands at 9.81, also above market averages.

Short-term trend indicators are bearishly aligned (SMA20 -0.35%, SMA50 1.02%, SMA200 14.92%). The stock’s 14-day RSI is 49.96 (neutral), while the ATR of 2.22 points to higher daily volatility. The stock remains sitting in the mid-range of its 52-week band, trading -5.14% below its high and over 37.74% above its low. Average 10-day trading volume of 718.58 thousand shares is in line with the 3-month average of 787.63 thousand, indicating normal recent market interest.

Our AI price prediction model suggests that Ashland Inc. stock has strong potential for upside but may face short-term weakness followed by gains in the medium and long term. 2-Week Outlook: Projected decline of -4.78%, with price expected at $65.76 by October 02, 2026, within a range of $64.52 to $66.93 3-Month Outlook: Projected rise of 21.84%, reaching $84.14 by December 16, 2026, with a range of $82.86 to $85.30. 1-Year Outlook: Projected loss of -11.42%, with price at $61.17 by September 17, 2027, within a range of $56.26 to $65.54.

Ashland Inc. (NYSE:ASH) shares are flat 4.36% year-to-date currently trading near 52-week highs band. Short-term momentum has been positive over the last quarter, despite recent volatility. Valuation shows Ashland Inc. trading at a premium to the broader market with a P/E of 60.68. Analyst sentiment is cautious, with the majority of ratings in Equal-Weight territory and a mean price target of $84.77, suggesting 22.75% upside. Our AI forecast model points to short-term weakness (-4.78% over two weeks), a medium-term rise (21.84% over three months), and a longer-term loss (-11.42% over one year), with expected trading ranges indicating moderate volatility.