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Side-by-side financial comparison of ASHLAND INC. (ASH) and STEPAN CO (SCL). Click either name above to swap in a different company.
STEPAN CO is the larger business by last-quarter revenue ($604.5M vs $386.0M, roughly 1.6× ASHLAND INC.). STEPAN CO runs the higher net margin — 3.3% vs -3.1%, a 6.4% gap on every dollar of revenue. On growth, STEPAN CO posted the faster year-over-year revenue change (1.9% vs -4.7%). Over the past eight quarters, STEPAN CO's revenue compounded faster (4.2% 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.
Stepan Company is an American manufacturer of specialty chemicals headquartered in Northbrook, Illinois. The company was founded in 1932 by Alfred C. Stepan, Jr., and has approximately 2,000 employees. It is currently run by his grandson, F. Quinn Stepan, Jr. The company describes itself as the largest global merchant manufacturer of anionic surfactants, which are used to enhance the foaming and cleaning capabilities of detergents, shampoos, toothpastes, and cosmetics.
ASH vs SCL — Head-to-Head
Income Statement — Q1 FY2026 vs Q1 FY2026
| Metric | | |
|---|---|---|
| Revenue | $386.0M | $604.5M |
| Net Profit | $-12.0M | $19.7M |
| Gross Margin | 27.2% | 10.7% |
| Operating Margin | -1.6% | 4.7% |
| Net Margin | -3.1% | 3.3% |
| Revenue YoY | -4.7% | 1.9% |
| Net Profit YoY | 92.7% | — |
| EPS (diluted) | $-0.26 | $0.86 |
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.
| Q1 26 | — | $604.5M | ||
| Q4 25 | $386.0M | $553.9M | ||
| Q3 25 | $477.0M | $590.3M | ||
| Q2 25 | $463.0M | $594.7M | ||
| Q1 25 | $479.0M | $593.3M | ||
| Q4 24 | $405.0M | $525.6M | ||
| Q3 24 | $521.0M | $546.8M | ||
| Q2 24 | $544.0M | $556.4M |
| Q1 26 | — | $19.7M | ||
| Q4 25 | $-12.0M | $5.0M | ||
| Q3 25 | $31.0M | $10.8M | ||
| Q2 25 | $-742.0M | $11.3M | ||
| Q1 25 | $31.0M | $19.7M | ||
| Q4 24 | $-165.0M | $3.4M | ||
| Q3 24 | $17.0M | $23.6M | ||
| Q2 24 | $6.0M | $9.5M |
| Q1 26 | — | 10.7% | ||
| Q4 25 | 27.2% | 9.3% | ||
| Q3 25 | 33.3% | 12.0% | ||
| Q2 25 | 28.5% | 12.1% | ||
| Q1 25 | 30.7% | 12.7% | ||
| Q4 24 | 27.4% | 10.8% | ||
| Q3 24 | 33.2% | 13.8% | ||
| Q2 24 | 34.2% | 12.5% |
| Q1 26 | — | 4.7% | ||
| Q4 25 | -1.6% | 1.9% | ||
| Q3 25 | 12.8% | 3.7% | ||
| Q2 25 | -152.9% | 3.0% | ||
| Q1 25 | 10.6% | 4.8% | ||
| Q4 24 | -44.2% | 1.5% | ||
| Q3 24 | 6.1% | 4.4% | ||
| Q2 24 | -11.2% | 3.4% |
| Q1 26 | — | 3.3% | ||
| Q4 25 | -3.1% | 0.9% | ||
| Q3 25 | 6.5% | 1.8% | ||
| Q2 25 | -160.3% | 1.9% | ||
| Q1 25 | 6.5% | 3.3% | ||
| Q4 24 | -40.7% | 0.6% | ||
| Q3 24 | 3.3% | 4.3% | ||
| Q2 24 | 1.1% | 1.7% |
| Q1 26 | — | $0.86 | ||
| Q4 25 | $-0.26 | $0.22 | ||
| Q3 25 | $0.83 | $0.47 | ||
| Q2 25 | $-16.21 | $0.50 | ||
| Q1 25 | $0.65 | $0.86 | ||
| Q4 24 | $-3.50 | $0.14 | ||
| Q3 24 | $0.34 | $1.03 | ||
| Q2 24 | $0.12 | $0.42 |
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 | — |
| Total DebtLower is stronger | $1.4B | $328.4M |
| Stockholders' EquityBook value | $1.9B | $1.2B |
| Total Assets | $4.5B | $2.3B |
| Debt / EquityLower = less leverage | 0.74× | 0.28× |
8-quarter trend — quarters aligned by calendar period.
| Q1 26 | — | — | ||
| Q4 25 | $304.0M | $132.7M | ||
| Q3 25 | $215.0M | $118.5M | ||
| Q2 25 | $207.0M | $88.9M | ||
| Q1 25 | $168.0M | $107.5M | ||
| Q4 24 | $219.0M | $99.7M | ||
| Q3 24 | $300.0M | $147.3M | ||
| Q2 24 | $399.0M | $124.7M |
| Q1 26 | — | $328.4M | ||
| Q4 25 | $1.4B | $626.7M | ||
| Q3 25 | $1.4B | $655.5M | ||
| Q2 25 | $1.4B | $658.0M | ||
| Q1 25 | $1.3B | $659.3M | ||
| Q4 24 | $1.3B | $625.4M | ||
| Q3 24 | $1.3B | $688.5M | ||
| Q2 24 | $1.3B | $657.1M |
| Q1 26 | — | $1.2B | ||
| Q4 25 | $1.9B | $1.2B | ||
| Q3 25 | $1.9B | $1.2B | ||
| Q2 25 | $1.9B | $1.2B | ||
| Q1 25 | $2.6B | $1.2B | ||
| Q4 24 | $2.6B | $1.2B | ||
| Q3 24 | $2.9B | $1.2B | ||
| Q2 24 | $3.0B | $1.2B |
| Q1 26 | — | $2.3B | ||
| Q4 25 | $4.5B | $2.4B | ||
| Q3 25 | $4.6B | $2.4B | ||
| Q2 25 | $4.6B | $2.4B | ||
| Q1 25 | $5.2B | $2.4B | ||
| Q4 24 | $5.2B | $2.3B | ||
| Q3 24 | $5.6B | $2.4B | ||
| Q2 24 | $5.7B | $2.3B |
| Q1 26 | — | 0.28× | ||
| Q4 25 | 0.74× | 0.50× | ||
| Q3 25 | 0.73× | 0.53× | ||
| Q2 25 | 0.73× | 0.53× | ||
| Q1 25 | 0.52× | 0.55× | ||
| Q4 24 | 0.51× | 0.53× | ||
| Q3 24 | 0.47× | 0.56× | ||
| Q2 24 | 0.45× | 0.55× |
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 | — |
| Free Cash FlowOCF − Capex | $111.0M | — |
| FCF MarginFCF / Revenue | 28.8% | — |
| Capex IntensityCapex / Revenue | 3.6% | — |
| Cash ConversionOCF / Net Profit | — | — |
| TTM Free Cash FlowTrailing 4 quarters | $200.0M | — |
8-quarter trend — quarters aligned by calendar period.
| Q1 26 | — | — | ||
| Q4 25 | $125.0M | $60.0M | ||
| Q3 25 | $40.0M | $69.8M | ||
| Q2 25 | $115.0M | $11.2M | ||
| Q1 25 | $9.0M | $6.9M | ||
| Q4 24 | $-30.0M | $68.3M | ||
| Q3 24 | $80.0M | $22.7M | ||
| Q2 24 | $127.0M | $29.5M |
| Q1 26 | — | — | ||
| Q4 25 | $111.0M | $25.4M | ||
| Q3 25 | $6.0M | $40.2M | ||
| Q2 25 | $95.0M | $-14.4M | ||
| Q1 25 | $-12.0M | $-25.8M | ||
| Q4 24 | $-53.0M | $32.1M | ||
| Q3 24 | $42.0M | $-4.0M | ||
| Q2 24 | $98.0M | $-208.0K |
| Q1 26 | — | — | ||
| Q4 25 | 28.8% | 4.6% | ||
| Q3 25 | 1.3% | 6.8% | ||
| Q2 25 | 20.5% | -2.4% | ||
| Q1 25 | -2.5% | -4.3% | ||
| Q4 24 | -13.1% | 6.1% | ||
| Q3 24 | 8.1% | -0.7% | ||
| Q2 24 | 18.0% | -0.0% |
| Q1 26 | — | — | ||
| Q4 25 | 3.6% | 6.3% | ||
| Q3 25 | 7.1% | 5.0% | ||
| Q2 25 | 4.3% | 4.3% | ||
| Q1 25 | 4.4% | 5.5% | ||
| Q4 24 | 5.7% | 6.9% | ||
| Q3 24 | 7.3% | 4.9% | ||
| Q2 24 | 5.3% | 5.3% |
| Q1 26 | — | — | ||
| Q4 25 | — | 11.99× | ||
| Q3 25 | 1.29× | 6.44× | ||
| Q2 25 | — | 0.99× | ||
| Q1 25 | 0.29× | 0.35× | ||
| Q4 24 | — | 20.38× | ||
| Q3 24 | 4.71× | 0.96× | ||
| Q2 24 | 21.17× | 3.10× |
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% |
SCL
| Surfactants | $453.7M | 75% |
| Polymers | $130.0M | 22% |
| Specialty Products | $20.8M | 3% |
