Research Analysts Offer Predictions for Westlake Q4 Earnings

Westlake Co. (NYSE:WLK) – Analysts at Zacks Research reduced their Q4 2024 earnings estimates for shares of Westlake in a research note issued to investors on Monday, November 25th. Zacks Research analyst R. Department now forecasts that the specialty chemicals company will earn $1.07 per share for the quarter, down from their prior estimate of $1.19. The consensus estimate for Westlake’s current full-year earnings is $6.47 per share. Zacks Research also issued estimates for Westlake’s FY2025 earnings at $6.82 EPS, Q2 2026 earnings at $2.64 EPS and FY2026 earnings at $8.63 EPS.

Westlake (NYSE:WLK) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, November 5th. The specialty chemicals company reported $1.41 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.21 by ($0.80). Westlake had a return on equity of 6.93% and a net margin of 0.81%. The business had revenue of $3.12 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.31 billion. During the same period last year, the firm earned $2.20 earnings per share. The company’s quarterly revenue was up .1% compared to the same quarter last year.

Several other brokerages have also recently commented on WLK. Bank of America raised shares of Westlake from an “underperform” rating to a “neutral” rating and boosted their price target for the stock from $151.00 to $159.00 in a research report on Wednesday, October 16th. Mizuho initiated coverage on shares of Westlake in a report on Thursday, August 8th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $170.00 target price on the stock. UBS Group cut their target price on shares of Westlake from $160.00 to $144.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, November 6th. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Westlake from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday. Finally, Barclays upgraded shares of Westlake from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and raised their target price for the company from $162.00 to $180.00 in a research note on Monday, September 30th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have given a hold rating and six have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $162.17.

Westlake Trading Down 2.8 %

Shares of NYSE:WLK opened at $128.19 on Wednesday. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $138.12 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $144.26. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.41, a current ratio of 2.79 and a quick ratio of 2.04. Westlake has a one year low of $118.64 and a one year high of $162.64. The stock has a market capitalization of $16.50 billion, a PE ratio of 180.55, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.55 and a beta of 1.19.

Westlake Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, December 12th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, November 26th will be given a dividend of $0.525 per share. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, November 26th. This represents a $2.10 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.64%. Westlake’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 295.77%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director David Tsung-Hung Chao sold 1,750 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, November 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $130.00, for a total transaction of $227,500.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 9,534 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,239,420. This trade represents a 15.51 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 1.30% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Pathway Financial Advisers LLC bought a new position in shares of Westlake during the first quarter worth approximately $43,000. Continuum Advisory LLC increased its holdings in shares of Westlake by 43.2% during the third quarter. Continuum Advisory LLC now owns 318 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $48,000 after purchasing an additional 96 shares during the period. Quest Partners LLC increased its holdings in shares of Westlake by 8,400.0% during the second quarter. Quest Partners LLC now owns 340 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $49,000 after purchasing an additional 336 shares during the period. Brooklyn Investment Group bought a new position in shares of Westlake during the third quarter worth approximately $62,000. Finally, Itau Unibanco Holding S.A. bought a new position in Westlake in the second quarter valued at approximately $66,000. 28.40% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Westlake Company Profile

Westlake Corporation engages in the manufacture and marketing of performance and essential materials, and housing and infrastructure products in the United States, Canada, Germany, China, Mexico, Brazil, France, Italy, Taiwan, and internationally. The company operates through two segments: Performance and Essential Materials and Housing and Infrastructure Products.