Ashland(US:ASH)2023-02-01 18:48Financial Performance - Ashland's Q1 FY23 sales increased by 3% to $525 million compared to $512 million in Q1 FY22[15, 22] - The company's EBITDA for Q1 FY23 rose by 2% to $108 million, slightly up from $106 million in Q1 FY22[15, 22] - EPS (excluding acquisition amortization) increased by 10% to $0.97 from $0.88 year-over-year[15, 22] - Gross profit margin remained consistent at 31.4%[22] Segment Performance - Life Sciences sales grew significantly by 22% to $207 million, up from $170 million, with a 44% increase in EBITDA to $52 million[15, 24] - Personal Care sales decreased by 6% to $138 million from $147 million, and EBITDA decreased by 11% to $32 million[26] - Specialty Additives experienced an 8% decrease in sales to $143 million from $156 million, with a 39% drop in EBITDA to $23 million[28] - Intermediates sales increased by 2% to $54 million from $53 million, with a 21% increase in EBITDA to $23 million[30] Key Factors and Outlook - The company is maintaining its full-year guidance with sales expected to be in the range of $2.5 - $2.7 billion and adjusted EBITDA between $600 - $650 million[39] - Unfavorable FX impacted sales and EBITDA in multiple segments, including Life Sciences (5% and 19% respectively), Personal Care (5% and 8% respectively), and Specialty Additives (4% and 3% respectively)[24, 26, 28]