Ashland Inc. (ASH) is a publicly traded company in the Basic Materials — Chemicals - Specialty industry listed on NYSE. This overview shows the latest price, key valuation ratios, profitability metrics and financial-health indicators used by fundamental investors.
Ashland Inc. operates as a global supplier of specialized chemicals and additives. Its business activities are structured into four main divisions: Life Sciences; Personal Care & Household; Specialty Additives; and Intermediates and Solvents. The Life Sciences segment delivers pharmaceutical formulations, encompassing controlled release polymers, disintegrants, tablet coatings, thickeners, solubilizers, and binding agents for tablets.
Is Ashland Inc. stock overvalued or undervalued in 2026?
Ashland Inc. (ASH) trades at 66.1× earnings (P/E), against a median of 18.8× across the 156 materials companies above $2bn in Kaplio's universe. Note: earnings per share over the last twelve months ($1.13) are far from the consensus for 2027 ($4.30); that is why this range uses expected earnings. No valuation verdict: its last-twelve-month earnings are distorted, so its P/E is no use for comparing it.
Kaplio overview: Ashland Inc.
Market cap $3B · 52 weeks $48 – $76 (2 % below the high) · P/E 66.1× · 2027 expected P/E 17.4× · Dividend 2.2 % · 7 years rising · Next earnings November 3, 2026 · expected EPS $1.27 · Closing price, Oct 30 · accounts published Jul 28.
- Valuation: P/E 66.1× (no verdict).
- Business: ROIC 2 % (weak).
- Balance sheet: Net cash/EBITDA 2.7× (solid).
- Earnings: 3 of 8 (disappointing).
What would it be worth at its usual multiples?
No valuation verdict: its last-twelve-month earnings are distorted, so its P/E is no use for comparing it.
Note: earnings per share over the last twelve months ($1.13) are far from the consensus for 2027 ($4.30); that is why this range uses expected earnings.
What matters in materials: 5 of 8 pass
- Dividend coverage −0.1×, fails.
- Capex / D&A 0.4×, fails.
- Altman Z-Score 1.2, fails.
- FCF yield 13.7 %, passes.
- Gross margin 30.1 %, passes, near the threshold.
- Net debt / EBITDA (trough) −2.7×, passes.
- P/B across cycles 1.8×, passes, near the threshold.
- Cycle-adjusted EV/EBITDA 11.7×, passes.
Against its peers (reference peers) — Ashland Inc.: P/E 66.1×; EV/EBITDA 11.7×; ROIC 1.9 %; $3.4B. Avient Corporation (P/E 23.2×; EV/EBITDA 10.7×; ROIC 4.7 %; $3.9B), WD-40 Company (P/E 36.3×; EV/EBITDA 25.0×; ROIC 22.1 %; $3.0B), Quaker Houghton (P/E 27.0×; EV/EBITDA 14.9×; ROIC 5.3 %; $2.6B).
Dividend
solid · Yield 2.2 % ($1.65 per share in 2025) · Years raising it 7 · 5-year growth +9 % a year · Free cash flow coverage 1.5× · With $1,000 invested today you'd collect $22.40 a year ($1.87 a month).
Profitability
| Return on Equity | 2.77% |
| Return on Invested Capital | 1.94% |
| Return on Assets | 1.14% |
| Gross Margin | 29.35% |
| Operating Margin | 7.33% |
| Net Margin | 2.82% |
Financial Health
| Debt / Equity | 0.79 |
| Current Ratio | 3.05 |
| Piotroski F-Score | 5 |
| Altman Z-Score | 1.23 |
Price Performance
| 1 month | +8.85% |
| 3 months | +2.85% |
| Year-to-date | +27.29% |
| 1 year | +52.72% |
| 3 years | -1.48% |
| 5 years | -22.47% |
| 10 years | +37.46% |
Dividend History
Paid in the last 12 months: $1.6700 per share in 4 payments.
| Date | Amount |
|---|---|
| 2026-09-01 | $0.4200 |
| 2026-06-01 | $0.4200 |
| 2026-02-27 | $0.4150 |
| 2025-12-01 | $0.4150 |
| 2025-08-29 | $0.4150 |
| 2025-05-30 | $0.4150 |
| 2025-02-28 | $0.4050 |
| 2024-11-29 | $0.4050 |
| 2024-08-30 | $0.4050 |
| 2024-05-31 | $0.4050 |
Amounts adjusted for stock splits.
Related companies: MEOH · WDFC · IOSP · SKE · AVNT · CC · NGVT · KWR
Explore sector: Basic Materials · Chemicals - Specialty
More sections of ASH: Financials · Valuation · Statistics · Estimates · Technical · Ownership · News · Events
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