While Ashland Inc. (NYSE:ASH) might not have the largest market cap around , it saw significant share price movement during recent months on the NYSE, rising to highs of US$101 and falling to the lows of US$81.74. Some share price movements can give investors a better opportunity to enter into the stock, and potentially buy at a lower price. A question to answer is whether Ashland's current trading price of US$88.60 reflective of the actual value of the mid-cap? Or is it currently undervalued, providing us with the opportunity to buy? Let's take a look at Ashland's outlook and value based on the most recent financial data to see if there are any catalysts for a price change.

What's The Opportunity In Ashland?

Great news for investors – Ashland is still trading at a fairly cheap price. According to our valuation, the intrinsic value for the stock is $113.74, which is above what the market is valuing the company at the moment. This indicates a potential opportunity to buy low. Ashland's share price also seems relatively stable compared to the rest of the market, as indicated by its low beta. If you believe the share price should eventually reach its true value, a low beta could suggest it is unlikely to rapidly do so anytime soon, and once it's there, it may be hard to fall back down into an attractive buying range.

Can we expect growth from Ashland?

Future outlook is an important aspect when you're looking at buying a stock, especially if you are an investor looking for growth in your portfolio. Buying a great company with a robust outlook at a cheap price is always a good investment, so let's also take a look at the company's future expectations. With profit expected to grow by 31% over the next couple of years, the future seems bright for Ashland. It looks like higher cash flow is on the cards for the stock, which should feed into a higher share valuation.

What This Means For You

Are you a shareholder? Since ASH is currently undervalued, it may be a great time to accumulate more of your holdings in the stock. With a positive outlook on the horizon, it seems like this growth has not yet been fully factored into the share price. However, there are also other factors such as capital structure to consider, which could explain the current undervaluation.

Are you a potential investor? If you've been keeping an eye on ASH for a while, now might be the time to enter the stock. Its prosperous future outlook isn't fully reflected in the current share price yet, which means it's not too late to buy ASH. But before you make any investment decisions, consider other factors such as the track record of its management team, in order to make a well-informed buy.

With this in mind, we wouldn't consider investing in a stock unless we had a thorough understanding of the risks. Case in point: We've spotted 2 warning signs for Ashland you should be aware of.

If you are no longer interested in Ashland, you can use our free platform to see our list of over 50 other stocks with a high growth potential.

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This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. We provide commentary based on historical data and analyst forecasts only using an unbiased methodology and our articles are not intended to be financial advice. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. We aim to bring you long-term focused analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Simply Wall St has no position in any stocks mentioned.