Ashland reports Q2 EPS 63c, consensus $1.10

Reports Q2 revenue $479M, consensus $502.62M. “Our Q2 performance reflected a mixed demand environment and lower-than-expected sales volumes, while pricing generally aligned with planning assumptions excluding intermediates. This combined impact was partially offset by the momentum of our cost savings program and a well-managed production recovery that followed our strategic pull-forward of maintenance turnarounds into the first quarter,” said Guillermo Novo, chair and chief executive officer of Ashland (ASH)…With our portfolio optimization now complete, highlighted by the sale of Avoca and the full identification of our $30M cost reduction plan in the second quarter, our key focus moving forward is accelerating cost savings from our $60M manufacturing optimization plans. Overall, we are successfully delivering on our cost savings initiatives and are on track to exceed our full-year target. The early benefits are evident in the robust EBITDA margins, above 30 percent, achieved by our Life Sciences and Personal Care business units this quarter, despite macroeconomic headwinds. We anticipate the financial impact of our cost reduction and manufacturing optimization initiatives will accelerate through the second half of this fiscal year and into fiscal 2026, supporting our results in this uncertain market.”