Zacks Research Forecasts Westlake FY2026 Earnings

Key Points

• Zacks Research forecasts Westlake’s FY2026 EPS at $2.78, below the broader consensus estimate of $3.43, and maintains a “Strong Sell” rating. It also projects FY2027 EPS of $2.40 and FY2028 EPS of $1.60, signaling concerns about longer-term earnings power.
• Westlake’s latest quarterly results exceeded expectations, with EPS of $2.01 versus the $1.83 consensus and revenue of $3.27 billion versus $3.24 billion expected. Revenue increased 10.8% year over year.
• Despite mixed analyst views, the stock carries a consensus “Hold” rating and an average price target of $93.92, compared with its reported opening price of $74.83. Westlake also raised its quarterly dividend slightly to $0.533 per share, implying a 2.8% annualized yield.

Westlake Corporation (NYSE:WLK - Free Report) - Equities research analysts at Zacks Research issued their FY2026 earnings per share (EPS) estimates for shares of Westlake in a research report issued on Monday, August 24th. Zacks Research analyst Team forecasts that the specialty chemicals company will post earnings of $2.78 per share for the year. Zacks Research currently has a "Strong Sell" rating on the stock. The consensus estimate for Westlake's current full-year earnings is $3.43 per share. Zacks Research also issued estimates for Westlake's Q2 2027 earnings at $0.99 EPS, Q3 2027 earnings at $0.34 EPS, Q4 2027 earnings at $0.56 EPS, FY2027 earnings at $2.40 EPS, Q1 2028 earnings at ($0.37) EPS, Q2 2028 earnings at $0.65 EPS and FY2028 earnings at $1.60 EPS.

Westlake (NYSE:WLK - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, August 4th. The specialty chemicals company reported $2.01 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.83 by $0.18. Westlake had a positive return on equity of 0.93% and a negative net margin of 10.94%.The company had revenue of $3.27 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $3.24 billion. During the same period last year, the business earned ($1.11) earnings per share. Westlake's quarterly revenue was up 10.8% on a year-over-year basis.

Other research analysts also recently issued research reports about the stock. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reiterated a "hold" rating and issued a $115.00 price objective on shares of Westlake in a research report on Thursday, May 7th. Wall Street Zen raised Westlake from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Saturday, August 8th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a "sell (d)" rating on shares of Westlake in a research note on Friday, July 17th. UBS Group reiterated a "buy" rating and set a $117.00 target price (down from $130.00) on shares of Westlake in a research report on Friday, June 5th. Finally, Citigroup dropped their price target on shares of Westlake from $95.00 to $85.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, June 24th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, ten have assigned a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $93.92.

Westlake Price Performance

Shares of NYSE WLK opened at $74.83 on Wednesday. The stock has a market capitalization of $9.56 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -7.81 and a beta of 0.63. Westlake has a 12 month low of $56.33 and a 12 month high of $124.23. The firm's 50 day simple moving average is $76.48 and its 200-day simple moving average is $93.35. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.55, a current ratio of 2.45 and a quick ratio of 1.70.

Institutional Trading of Westlake

Large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Orbis Allan Gray Ltd lifted its holdings in Westlake by 12.1% in the 4th quarter. Orbis Allan Gray Ltd now owns 4,386,635 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock valued at $324,348,000 after purchasing an additional 472,224 shares in the last quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP grew its stake in Westlake by 7,239.1% during the 4th quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 4,220,717 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock valued at $312,080,000 after acquiring an additional 4,163,207 shares in the last quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its stake in Westlake by 13.9% during the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 3,917,329 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock valued at $289,647,000 after acquiring an additional 477,698 shares in the last quarter. BlackRock Inc. acquired a new stake in Westlake in the 2nd quarter valued at about $240,474,000. Finally, California State Teachers Retirement System lifted its stake in Westlake by 5,958.8% in the 2nd quarter. California State Teachers Retirement System now owns 2,693,700 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock worth $196,640,000 after purchasing an additional 2,649,241 shares in the last quarter. 28.40% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Activity at Westlake

In other Westlake news, Chairman Albert Chao sold 38,873 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, August 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $80.28, for a total transaction of $3,120,724.44. Following the completion of the transaction, the chairman owned 642,880 shares of the company's stock, valued at $51,610,406.40. This represents a 5.70% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. 1.40% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Westlake Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, September 10th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, August 25th will be paid a dividend of $0.533 per share. This is an increase from Westlake's previous quarterly dividend of $0.53. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, August 25th. This represents a $2.13 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.8%. Westlake's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently -22.13%.

Westlake News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting Westlake this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Zacks Research raised its EPS forecasts for Q3 2026 to $1.17 from $1.02, Q4 2026 to $0.37 from $0.33, and Q1 2027 to $0.50 from $0.43. It also lifted FY2027 EPS to $2.40 from $1.96, suggesting some improvement in near- to medium-term profitability expectations.
• Positive Sentiment: Westlake recently reported quarterly EPS of $2.01, exceeding the $1.83 consensus estimate, while revenue of $3.27 billion also topped expectations and increased 10.8% year over year. Why Is Westlake in Focus After Stronger Results?
• Neutral Sentiment: Analysts reached a consensus “Hold” recommendation, indicating limited conviction that the recent earnings improvement will translate into a clear sustained recovery. Westlake Receives Consensus Recommendation of Hold
• Negative Sentiment: Zacks Research maintains a “Strong Sell” rating and reduced its Q3 2027 EPS forecast to $0.34 from $0.73 and Q1 2028 EPS to a loss of $0.37 from a loss of $0.02. These cuts point to expected earnings volatility and weaker conditions beyond the near term.
• Negative Sentiment: Zacks also lowered its FY2028 EPS forecast to $1.60 from $2.00. The estimate is well below the broader current-year consensus of $3.43, reinforcing concerns about Westlake’s longer-term earnings power.

Westlake Company Profile

Westlake Corp. is a global manufacturer of petrochemicals, polymers and building products, serving customers across industrial and residential markets. The company's core operations encompass the production of vinyls—primarily polyvinyl chloride (PVC) and its key feedstock vinyl chloride monomer (VCM)—as well as chlor-alkali products including caustic soda and chlorine. In addition, Westlake produces ethylene, propylene and specialty elastomers, along with construction-related materials such as vinyl siding, trim, windows and roofing systems.

Operating a network of vertically integrated plants and distribution centers, Westlake serves markets in North America, Europe and Asia.

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.

Continue following MarketBeat

Add MarketBeat as your preferred source on Google to see our latest stories in your feed.

Add As Preferred Source