Billionaire Lee Cooperman’s Top 15 Long-Term Stock Picks

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7. Ashland Inc. (NYSE:ASH)

Number of Hedge Fund Holders: 25  

Omega Advisors’ Stake: $94.8 million

Ashland Inc. (NYSE:ASH) is a global additives and specialty ingredients company with a conscious mindset for sustainability. The following factors make Ashland a highly attractive investment. To begin with, the report for the fourth quarter of 2024 showed net income, including discontinued operations, of $6 million or $0.12 per diluted share. Adjusted EBITDA was $139 million, a 5% increase from the prior-year quarter, and cash flows provided by operating activities of $128 million, with an ongoing free cash flow of $112 million. This positive net income and free cash flows highlight the company’s ability to fund operations and reinvest or return value to shareholders. Secondly, the company has announced that it would sell its Avoca business to Mane. The transaction is expected to close in the calendar first quarter of 2025.

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