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Side-by-side financial comparison of ASHLAND INC. (ASH) and MetLife (MET). Click either name above to swap in a different company.
MetLife is the larger business by last-quarter revenue ($600.0M vs $386.0M, roughly 1.6× ASHLAND INC.). MetLife runs the higher net margin — 134.8% vs -3.1%, a 137.9% gap on every dollar of revenue. On growth, MetLife posted the faster year-over-year revenue change (7.9% vs -4.7%). Over the past eight quarters, MetLife's revenue compounded faster (2.0% 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.
MetLife, Inc. is the holding corporation for the Metropolitan Life Insurance Company (MLIC), better known as MetLife, and its affiliates. MetLife is among the largest global providers of insurance, annuities, and employee benefit programs, with around 90 million customers in over 60 countries. The firm was founded on March 24, 1868. MetLife ranked No. 43 in the 2018 Fortune 500 list of the largest United States corporations by total revenue.
ASH vs MET — Head-to-Head
Income Statement — Q1 FY2026 vs Q4 FY2025
| Metric | | |
|---|---|---|
| Revenue | $386.0M | $600.0M |
| Net Profit | $-12.0M | $809.0M |
| Gross Margin | 27.2% | — |
| Operating Margin | -1.6% | — |
| Net Margin | -3.1% | 134.8% |
| Revenue YoY | -4.7% | 7.9% |
| Net Profit YoY | 92.7% | -36.3% |
| EPS (diluted) | $-0.26 | $1.18 |
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.
| Q4 25 | $386.0M | $600.0M | ||
| Q3 25 | $477.0M | $621.0M | ||
| Q2 25 | $463.0M | $604.0M | ||
| Q1 25 | $479.0M | $611.0M | ||
| Q4 24 | $405.0M | $556.0M | ||
| Q3 24 | $521.0M | $554.0M | ||
| Q2 24 | $544.0M | $558.0M | ||
| Q1 24 | $575.0M | $577.0M |
| Q4 25 | $-12.0M | $809.0M | ||
| Q3 25 | $31.0M | $896.0M | ||
| Q2 25 | $-742.0M | $729.0M | ||
| Q1 25 | $31.0M | $945.0M | ||
| Q4 24 | $-165.0M | $1.3B | ||
| Q3 24 | $17.0M | $1.3B | ||
| Q2 24 | $6.0M | $946.0M | ||
| Q1 24 | $120.0M | $867.0M |
| Q4 25 | 27.2% | — | ||
| Q3 25 | 33.3% | — | ||
| Q2 25 | 28.5% | — | ||
| Q1 25 | 30.7% | — | ||
| Q4 24 | 27.4% | — | ||
| Q3 24 | 33.2% | — | ||
| Q2 24 | 34.2% | — | ||
| Q1 24 | 28.0% | — |
| Q4 25 | -1.6% | — | ||
| Q3 25 | 12.8% | — | ||
| Q2 25 | -152.9% | — | ||
| Q1 25 | 10.6% | — | ||
| Q4 24 | -44.2% | — | ||
| Q3 24 | 6.1% | — | ||
| Q2 24 | -11.2% | — | ||
| Q1 24 | 3.7% | — |
| Q4 25 | -3.1% | 134.8% | ||
| Q3 25 | 6.5% | 144.3% | ||
| Q2 25 | -160.3% | 120.7% | ||
| Q1 25 | 6.5% | 154.7% | ||
| Q4 24 | -40.7% | 228.6% | ||
| Q3 24 | 3.3% | 242.2% | ||
| Q2 24 | 1.1% | 169.5% | ||
| Q1 24 | 20.9% | 150.3% |
| Q4 25 | $-0.26 | $1.18 | ||
| Q3 25 | $0.83 | $1.22 | ||
| Q2 25 | $-16.21 | $1.03 | ||
| Q1 25 | $0.65 | $1.28 | ||
| Q4 24 | $-3.50 | $1.75 | ||
| Q3 24 | $0.34 | $1.81 | ||
| Q2 24 | $0.12 | $1.28 | ||
| Q1 24 | $2.39 | $1.10 |
Balance Sheet & Financial Strength
Snapshot of each company's liquidity, leverage and book value from the latest quarter.
| Metric | | |
|---|---|---|
| Cash + ST InvestmentsLiquidity on hand | $304.0M | $25.6B |
| Total DebtLower is stronger | $1.4B | — |
| Stockholders' EquityBook value | $1.9B | $28.4B |
| Total Assets | $4.5B | $745.2B |
| Debt / EquityLower = less leverage | 0.74× | — |
8-quarter trend — quarters aligned by calendar period.
| Q4 25 | $304.0M | $25.6B | ||
| Q3 25 | $215.0M | $26.2B | ||
| Q2 25 | $207.0M | $27.5B | ||
| Q1 25 | $168.0M | $26.9B | ||
| Q4 24 | $219.0M | $25.2B | ||
| Q3 24 | $300.0M | $26.4B | ||
| Q2 24 | $399.0M | $24.6B | ||
| Q1 24 | $439.0M | $24.7B |
| Q4 25 | $1.4B | — | ||
| Q3 25 | $1.4B | — | ||
| Q2 25 | $1.4B | — | ||
| Q1 25 | $1.3B | — | ||
| Q4 24 | $1.3B | — | ||
| Q3 24 | $1.3B | — | ||
| Q2 24 | $1.3B | — | ||
| Q1 24 | $1.3B | — |
| Q4 25 | $1.9B | $28.4B | ||
| Q3 25 | $1.9B | $28.9B | ||
| Q2 25 | $1.9B | $27.7B | ||
| Q1 25 | $2.6B | $27.5B | ||
| Q4 24 | $2.6B | $27.4B | ||
| Q3 24 | $2.9B | $30.9B | ||
| Q2 24 | $3.0B | $27.3B | ||
| Q1 24 | $3.1B | $28.5B |
| Q4 25 | $4.5B | $745.2B | ||
| Q3 25 | $4.6B | $719.7B | ||
| Q2 25 | $4.6B | $702.5B | ||
| Q1 25 | $5.2B | $688.3B | ||
| Q4 24 | $5.2B | $677.5B | ||
| Q3 24 | $5.6B | $705.0B | ||
| Q2 24 | $5.7B | $675.7B | ||
| Q1 24 | $5.9B | $677.6B |
| Q4 25 | 0.74× | — | ||
| Q3 25 | 0.73× | — | ||
| Q2 25 | 0.73× | — | ||
| Q1 25 | 0.52× | — | ||
| Q4 24 | 0.51× | — | ||
| Q3 24 | 0.47× | — | ||
| Q2 24 | 0.45× | — | ||
| Q1 24 | 0.42× | — |
Cash Flow & Capital Efficiency
How much cash each business actually produces after reinvestment. Cash flow is harder to manipulate than net income.
| Metric | | |
|---|---|---|
| Operating Cash FlowLast quarter | $125.0M | $7.1B |
| Free Cash FlowOCF − Capex | $111.0M | — |
| FCF MarginFCF / Revenue | 28.8% | — |
| Capex IntensityCapex / Revenue | 3.6% | — |
| Cash ConversionOCF / Net Profit | — | 8.75× |
| TTM Free Cash FlowTrailing 4 quarters | $200.0M | — |
8-quarter trend — quarters aligned by calendar period.
| Q4 25 | $125.0M | $7.1B | ||
| Q3 25 | $40.0M | $3.6B | ||
| Q2 25 | $115.0M | $2.2B | ||
| Q1 25 | $9.0M | $4.3B | ||
| Q4 24 | $-30.0M | $4.6B | ||
| Q3 24 | $80.0M | $4.2B | ||
| Q2 24 | $127.0M | $3.5B | ||
| Q1 24 | $54.0M | $2.3B |
| 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 | — |
| 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% | — |
| 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% | — |
| Q4 25 | — | 8.75× | ||
| Q3 25 | 1.29× | 3.98× | ||
| Q2 25 | — | 3.00× | ||
| Q1 25 | 0.29× | 4.51× | ||
| Q4 24 | — | 3.63× | ||
| Q3 24 | 4.71× | 3.11× | ||
| Q2 24 | 21.17× | 3.69× | ||
| Q1 24 | 0.45× | 2.69× |
Financial Flow Comparison
Revenue → gross profit → operating profit → net profit for each company.
Revenue Breakdown by Segment
ASH
| Personal Care And Household | $123.0M | 32% |
| Other | $120.0M | 31% |
| Specialty Additives | $36.0M | 9% |
| Intermediates And Solvents | $31.0M | 8% |
| Personal Care | $30.0M | 8% |
| Life Sciences | $27.0M | 7% |
| Intermediates | $19.0M | 5% |
MET
| Other | $165.0M | 28% |
| Prepaidlegalplansandadministrativeonlycontracts | $158.0M | 26% |
| Vision Fee For Service Arrangements | $140.0M | 23% |
| Administrative Service | $76.0M | 13% |
| Distribution Service | $36.0M | 6% |
| Feebasedinvestmentmanagementservices | $25.0M | 4% |
