Ashland (ASH) reported $482 million in revenue for the quarter ended March 2026, representing a year-over-year increase of 0.6%. EPS of $0.91 for the same period compares to $0.99 a year ago.
The reported revenue compares to the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $490.76 million, representing a surprise of -1.79%. The company delivered an EPS surprise of -6.16%, with the consensus EPS estimate being $0.97.
While investors scrutinize revenue and earnings changes year-over-year and how they compare with Wall Street expectations to determine their next move, some key metrics always offer a more accurate picture of a company's financial health.
Since these metrics play a crucial role in driving the top- and bottom-line numbers, comparing them with the year-ago numbers and what analysts estimated about them helps investors better project a stock's price performance.
Here is how Ashland performed in the just reported quarter in terms of the metrics most widely monitored and projected by Wall Street analysts: Revenue- Intermediates: $35 million compared to the $36.3 million average estimate based on three analysts. The reported number represents a change of -5.4% year over year. Revenue- Life Sciences: $172 million versus $180.25 million estimated by three analysts on average. Compared to the year-ago quarter, this number represents a 0% change. Revenue- Personal Care: $150 million compared to the $152.99 million average estimate based on three analysts. The reported number represents a change of +2.7% year over year. Revenue- Specialty Additives: $134 million versus the three-analyst average estimate of $133.8 million. The reported number represents a year-over-year change of 0%. Revenue- Intersegment sales: $-9 million versus $-9.5 million estimated by two analysts on average. Compared to the year-ago quarter, this number represents a -10% change. Adjusted EBITDA- Life Science: $50 million versus $55.86 million estimated by three analysts on average. Adjusted EBITDA- Personal Care: $43 million versus $41.5 million estimated by three analysts on average. Adjusted EBITDA- Specialty Additives: $16 million versus the three-analyst average estimate of $21.78 million. Adjusted EBITDA- Intermediates: $5 million versus $1.94 million estimated by three analysts on average. OPERATING INCOME- Unallocated and other: $-20 million compared to the $-17.75 million average estimate based on two analysts.View all Key Company Metrics for Ashland here>>>
Shares of Ashland have returned +10.4% over the past month versus the Zacks S&P 500 composite's +12.8% change. The stock currently has a Zacks Rank #4 (Sell), indicating that it could underperform the broader market in the near term.Zacks' Research Chief Names "Stock Most Likely to Double"
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This article originally published on Zacks Investment Research (zacks.com).