Ashland price target lowered to $85 from $100 at Evercore ISI

Evercore ISI analyst Eric Boyes lowered the firm’s price target on Ashland (ASH) to $85 from $100 and keeps an In Line rating on the shares as a new analyst took over coverage of the stock and 10 other chemical names. Dissonance between sputtering industrial demand into year-end and prospects for a “less bad” 2025 has “muddled the forward outlook for chemicals investors” and the firm’s sense is further EBITDA and EPS cuts coming to Q1 and FY25 “are needed to clear the deck,” the analyst says. However, Evercore suspects the stocks “move sharply higher with signs of improving demand, so begin to position accordingly,” the analyst added.