Ashland upgraded to Outperform from Market Perform at BMO Capital

BMO Capital upgraded Ashland (ASH) to Outperform from Market Perform with a price target of $71, up from $61. Ashland has “largely cleaned up its portfolio” and is firmly focused on improving costs while continuing to drive its innovation pillars for longer-term growth, says the analyst. With a potential activist in the stock, the firm believes management’s focus on execution and value creation will result in an improved risk/reward, the analyst added.