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Side-by-side financial comparison of ASHLAND INC. (ASH) and Essex Property Trust (ESS). Click either name above to swap in a different company.

Essex Property Trust is the larger business by last-quarter revenue ($479.6M vs $386.0M, roughly 1.2× ASHLAND INC.). Essex Property Trust runs the higher net margin — 17.9% vs -3.1%, a 21.0% gap on every dollar of revenue. On growth, Essex Property Trust posted the faster year-over-year revenue change (5.5% vs -4.7%). Over the past eight quarters, Essex Property Trust's revenue compounded faster (6.0% CAGR vs -18.1%).

Ashland, Inc., is an American chemical company headquartered in Wilmington, Delaware. The company began as an oil refinery in the city of Ashland, Kentucky, in 1924, before moving to Wilmington in 1994. The company has five wholly owned divisions, which include Chemical Intermediates and Solvents, composites, industrial specialties, personal and home care, pharmaceuticals, food and beverage, and agriculture. Until 2017, the company was the primary manufacturer of Valvoline.

Essex Property Trust is a publicly traded real estate investment trust that invests in apartments in California and in the Seattle metropolitan area.

ASH vs ESS — Head-to-Head

Bigger by revenue
ESS
ESS
1.2× larger
ESS
$479.6M
$386.0M
ASH
Growing faster (revenue YoY)
ESS
ESS
+10.2% gap
ESS
5.5%
-4.7%
ASH
Higher net margin
ESS
ESS
21.0% more per $
ESS
17.9%
-3.1%
ASH
Faster 2-yr revenue CAGR
ESS
ESS
Annualised
ESS
6.0%
-18.1%
ASH

Income Statement — Q1 FY2026 vs Q4 FY2025

Metric
ASH
ASH
ESS
ESS
Revenue
$386.0M
$479.6M
Net Profit
$-12.0M
$85.7M
Gross Margin
27.2%
70.0%
Operating Margin
-1.6%
31.7%
Net Margin
-3.1%
17.9%
Revenue YoY
-4.7%
5.5%
Net Profit YoY
92.7%
-71.6%
EPS (diluted)
$-0.26
$1.24

Green = leading value per metric. Periods may differ when fiscal calendars don't align.

8-Quarter Revenue & Profit Trend

Side-by-side quarterly history. Quarters aligned by calendar period so offset fiscal years line up.

Revenue
ASH
ASH
ESS
ESS
Q4 25
$386.0M
$479.6M
Q3 25
$477.0M
$473.3M
Q2 25
$463.0M
$469.8M
Q1 25
$479.0M
$464.6M
Q4 24
$405.0M
$454.5M
Q3 24
$521.0M
$450.7M
Q2 24
$544.0M
$442.4M
Q1 24
$575.0M
$426.9M
Net Profit
ASH
ASH
ESS
ESS
Q4 25
$-12.0M
$85.7M
Q3 25
$31.0M
$172.7M
Q2 25
$-742.0M
$231.5M
Q1 25
$31.0M
$212.8M
Q4 24
$-165.0M
$301.7M
Q3 24
$17.0M
$125.5M
Q2 24
$6.0M
$99.0M
Q1 24
$120.0M
$285.1M
Gross Margin
ASH
ASH
ESS
ESS
Q4 25
27.2%
70.0%
Q3 25
33.3%
69.2%
Q2 25
28.5%
70.7%
Q1 25
30.7%
69.6%
Q4 24
27.4%
70.0%
Q3 24
33.2%
69.5%
Q2 24
34.2%
70.8%
Q1 24
28.0%
69.7%
Operating Margin
ASH
ASH
ESS
ESS
Q4 25
-1.6%
31.7%
Q3 25
12.8%
44.5%
Q2 25
-152.9%
59.5%
Q1 25
10.6%
55.3%
Q4 24
-44.2%
67.0%
Q3 24
6.1%
28.6%
Q2 24
-11.2%
31.1%
Q1 24
3.7%
31.0%
Net Margin
ASH
ASH
ESS
ESS
Q4 25
-3.1%
17.9%
Q3 25
6.5%
36.5%
Q2 25
-160.3%
49.3%
Q1 25
6.5%
45.8%
Q4 24
-40.7%
66.4%
Q3 24
3.3%
27.8%
Q2 24
1.1%
22.4%
Q1 24
20.9%
66.8%
EPS (diluted)
ASH
ASH
ESS
ESS
Q4 25
$-0.26
$1.24
Q3 25
$0.83
$2.56
Q2 25
$-16.21
$3.44
Q1 25
$0.65
$3.16
Q4 24
$-3.50
$4.00
Q3 24
$0.34
$1.84
Q2 24
$0.12
$1.45
Q1 24
$2.39
$4.25

Balance Sheet & Financial Strength

Snapshot of each company's liquidity, leverage and book value from the latest quarter.

Metric
ASH
ASH
ESS
ESS
Cash + ST InvestmentsLiquidity on hand
$304.0M
$76.2M
Total DebtLower is stronger
$1.4B
Stockholders' EquityBook value
$1.9B
$5.5B
Total Assets
$4.5B
$13.2B
Debt / EquityLower = less leverage
0.74×

8-quarter trend — quarters aligned by calendar period.

Cash + ST Investments
ASH
ASH
ESS
ESS
Q4 25
$304.0M
$76.2M
Q3 25
$215.0M
$66.0M
Q2 25
$207.0M
$58.7M
Q1 25
$168.0M
$98.7M
Q4 24
$219.0M
$66.8M
Q3 24
$300.0M
$71.3M
Q2 24
$399.0M
$55.2M
Q1 24
$439.0M
$499.0M
Total Debt
ASH
ASH
ESS
ESS
Q4 25
$1.4B
Q3 25
$1.4B
$6.4B
Q2 25
$1.4B
$6.4B
Q1 25
$1.3B
$6.8B
Q4 24
$1.3B
Q3 24
$1.3B
$6.4B
Q2 24
$1.3B
$6.2B
Q1 24
$1.3B
$6.6B
Stockholders' Equity
ASH
ASH
ESS
ESS
Q4 25
$1.9B
$5.5B
Q3 25
$1.9B
$5.6B
Q2 25
$1.9B
$5.6B
Q1 25
$2.6B
$5.6B
Q4 24
$2.6B
$5.5B
Q3 24
$2.9B
$5.4B
Q2 24
$3.0B
$5.5B
Q1 24
$3.1B
$5.5B
Total Assets
ASH
ASH
ESS
ESS
Q4 25
$4.5B
$13.2B
Q3 25
$4.6B
$13.2B
Q2 25
$4.6B
$13.2B
Q1 25
$5.2B
$13.2B
Q4 24
$5.2B
$12.9B
Q3 24
$5.6B
$12.6B
Q2 24
$5.7B
$12.5B
Q1 24
$5.9B
$12.9B
Debt / Equity
ASH
ASH
ESS
ESS
Q4 25
0.74×
Q3 25
0.73×
1.15×
Q2 25
0.73×
1.14×
Q1 25
0.52×
1.22×
Q4 24
0.51×
Q3 24
0.47×
1.18×
Q2 24
0.45×
1.13×
Q1 24
0.42×
1.19×

Cash Flow & Capital Efficiency

How much cash each business actually produces after reinvestment. Cash flow is harder to manipulate than net income.

Metric
ASH
ASH
ESS
ESS
Operating Cash FlowLast quarter
$125.0M
$1.1B
Free Cash FlowOCF − Capex
$111.0M
FCF MarginFCF / Revenue
28.8%
Capex IntensityCapex / Revenue
3.6%
Cash ConversionOCF / Net Profit
12.53×
TTM Free Cash FlowTrailing 4 quarters
$200.0M

8-quarter trend — quarters aligned by calendar period.

Operating Cash Flow
ASH
ASH
ESS
ESS
Q4 25
$125.0M
$1.1B
Q3 25
$40.0M
$342.6M
Q2 25
$115.0M
$216.1M
Q1 25
$9.0M
$281.5M
Q4 24
$-30.0M
$1.1B
Q3 24
$80.0M
$316.2M
Q2 24
$127.0M
$218.9M
Q1 24
$54.0M
$314.9M
Free Cash Flow
ASH
ASH
ESS
ESS
Q4 25
$111.0M
Q3 25
$6.0M
Q2 25
$95.0M
Q1 25
$-12.0M
Q4 24
$-53.0M
Q3 24
$42.0M
Q2 24
$98.0M
Q1 24
$20.0M
FCF Margin
ASH
ASH
ESS
ESS
Q4 25
28.8%
Q3 25
1.3%
Q2 25
20.5%
Q1 25
-2.5%
Q4 24
-13.1%
Q3 24
8.1%
Q2 24
18.0%
Q1 24
3.5%
Capex Intensity
ASH
ASH
ESS
ESS
Q4 25
3.6%
Q3 25
7.1%
Q2 25
4.3%
Q1 25
4.4%
Q4 24
5.7%
Q3 24
7.3%
Q2 24
5.3%
Q1 24
5.9%
Cash Conversion
ASH
ASH
ESS
ESS
Q4 25
12.53×
Q3 25
1.29×
1.98×
Q2 25
0.93×
Q1 25
0.29×
1.32×
Q4 24
3.54×
Q3 24
4.71×
2.52×
Q2 24
21.17×
2.21×
Q1 24
0.45×
1.10×

Financial Flow Comparison

Revenue → gross profit → operating profit → net profit for each company.

Revenue Breakdown by Segment

ASH
ASH

Personal Care And Household$123.0M32%
Other$120.0M31%
Specialty Additives$36.0M9%
Intermediates And Solvents$31.0M8%
Personal Care$30.0M8%
Life Sciences$27.0M7%
Intermediates$19.0M5%

ESS
ESS

Segment breakdown not available.

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