Ashland Inc. Announces 14% Retreat In Q4 Bottom Line

(RTTNews) - Ashland Inc. (ASH) reported a profit for fourth quarter that decreased compared to the same period last year.

The company said its earnings dropped to $95 million, or $1.52 per share. This was down from $110 million, or $1.62 per share, in last year's fourth quarter.

Analysts had expected the company to earn $1.61 per share, according figures compiled by Thomson Reuters. Analysts' estimates typically exclude special items.

The company said revenue for the quarter fell 2.3% to $1.25 billion. This was down from $1.28 billion last year.

Ashland Inc. earnings at a glance:

-Earnings (Q4): $95 Mln. vs. $110 Mln. last year. -Earnings Decline (Y-o-Y): -13.6% -EPS (Q4): $1.52 vs. $1.62 last year. -EPS Decline (Y-o-Y): -6.2% -Analysts Estimate: $1.61 -Revenue (Q4): $1.25 Bln vs. $1.28 Bln last year. -Revenue Change (Y-o-Y): -2.3%