Westlake (WLK) Stock Price, News & Analysis

Company Overview

Westlake Corporation (NYSE: WLK) is a publicly traded global manufacturer and supplier of petrochemicals, polymers and building products. The company operates through two main segments: Petrochemicals, which produces olefins, vinyls and related derivatives; and Building Products, which supplies insulation, roofing, siding and engineered wood solutions. Westlake’s integrated operations include the production of ethylene, vinyl chloride monomer, polyvinyl chloride (PVC) resins and caustic soda, as well as downstream products such as chlorinated polyvinyl chloride (CPVC) and other specialty plastics.

In the petrochemical sector, Westlake leverages its feedstock advantages and operating scale to produce a range of base chemicals that serve diverse industrial markets. Ethylene and propylene produced at its fully integrated complexes are used to manufacture packaging films, automotive components and consumer goods. Westlake’s vinyls product line supplies raw materials for PVC pipes, window profiles, siding, fencing and other building materials. The company also produces chlor-alkali products for applications in water treatment, pulp and paper and agriculture.

Westlake maintains manufacturing facilities across North America, Europe and Asia, with major complexes located along the U.S. Gulf Coast and in China. Its international presence is bolstered by joint ventures and strategic partnerships that enhance its supply chain and market access. In recent years, Westlake has expanded its footprint through acquisitions of complementary businesses, enabling synergy realization in logistics and raw-material feedstocks. The company’s distribution network and technical service capabilities support customers in more than 100 countries.

Founded in 1986 by the Chao family, Westlake has grown from a regional specialty manufacturer into a diversified chemicals and building products enterprise. Leadership is anchored by Chairman and CEO Albert Chao, whose family legacy includes multiple decades of experience in the global chemical industry. Westlake emphasizes safety, sustainability and innovation as key pillars of its strategy, with ongoing investments in process technology, energy efficiency and environmental stewardship to maintain competitive advantage and drive long-term growth.

Key Stats

• Today's Range: $81.16 to $83.99
• 50-Day Range: $69.83 to $86.47
• 52-Week Range: $68.55 to $153.34
• Volume: 789,046 shs
• Average Volume: 754,846 shs
• Market Capitalization: $10.71 billion
• P/E Ratio: 28.01
• Dividend Yield: 2.52%
• Price Target: $93.77
• Consensus Rating: Moderate Buy

Westlake Stock Analysis - MarketRank™

Westlake scored higher than 95% of companies evaluated by MarketBeat, and ranked 13th out of 186 stocks in the basic materials sector. Scores are calculated by averaging available category scores, with extra weight given to analysis and valuation.

Analyst's Opinion

• Score: 3.3 / 5
• Analyst Rating: Moderate Buy

Consensus Rating

Westlake has received a consensus rating of Moderate Buy. The company's average rating score is 2.54, and is based on 7 buy ratings, 6 hold ratings, and no sell ratings.

Amount of Analyst Coverage

Westlake has been the subject of 13 research reports in the past 90 days, demonstrating strong analyst interest in this stock.

Earnings and Valuation

• Score: 2.5 / 5
• Proj. Earnings Growth: 14.81%

Earnings Growth

Earnings for Westlake are expected to grow by 14.81% in the coming year, from $6.48 to $7.44 per share.

Price to Earnings Ratio vs. the Market

The P/E ratio of Westlake is 28.01, which means that it is trading at a more expensive P/E ratio than the market average P/E ratio of about 26.52.

Price to Earnings Ratio vs. Sector

The P/E ratio of Westlake is 28.01, which means that it is trading at a less expensive P/E ratio than the Basic Materials sector average P/E ratio of about 106.88.

Price to Earnings Growth Ratio

Westlake has a PEG Ratio of 9.72. PEG Ratios above 1 indicate that a company could be overvalued.

Price to Book Value per Share Ratio

Westlake has a P/B Ratio of 0.97. P/B Ratios below 1 indicate that a company could be undervalued with respect to its assets and liabilities.

Short Interest

• Score: 4.0 / 5
• Short Interest Level: Healthy

Percentage of Shares Shorted

5.41% of the float of Westlake has been sold short.

Short Interest Ratio / Days to Cover

Westlake has a short interest ratio ("days to cover") of 0, which is generally considered an acceptable ratio of short interest to trading volume.

Change versus previous month

Short interest in Westlake has recently decreased by 66.88%, indicating that investor sentiment is improving significantly.

Dividend

• Score: 4.2 / 5
• Dividend Strength: Strong

Dividend Yield

Westlake pays a meaningful dividend of 2.52%, higher than the bottom 25% of all stocks that pay dividends.

Dividend Growth

Westlake has been increasing its dividend for 21 years.

Dividend Coverage

The dividend payout ratio of Westlake is 70.47%. This payout ratio is at a healthy, sustainable level, below 75%.

Dividend Sustainability

Based on earnings estimates, Westlake will have a dividend payout ratio of 28.23% next year. This indicates that Westlake will be able to sustain or increase its dividend.

Sustainability and ESG

• Score: 0.0 / 5
• Environmental Score: -5.10

Percentage of Shares Shorted

5.41% of the float of Westlake has been sold short.

Short Interest Ratio / Days to Cover

Westlake has a short interest ratio ("days to cover") of 0, which is generally considered an acceptable ratio of short interest to trading volume.

Change versus previous month

Short interest in Westlake has recently decreased by 66.88%, indicating that investor sentiment is improving significantly.

News and Social Media

• Score: 2.5 / 5
• News Sentiment: 0.47

News Sentiment

Westlake has a news sentiment score of 0.47. This score is calculated as an average of sentiment of articles about the company over the last seven days and ranges from 2 (good news) to -2 (bad news). This is a lower news sentiment than the 0.59 average news sentiment score of Basic Materials companies.

News Coverage This Week

MarketBeat has tracked 15 news articles for Westlake this week, compared to 9 articles on an average week.

Search Interest

Only 1 people have searched for WLK on MarketBeat in the last 30 days. This is a decrease of -67% compared to the previous 30 days.

MarketBeat Follows

1 people have added Westlake to their MarketBeat watchlist in the last 30 days.

Company Ownership

• Score: 1.7 / 5
• Insider Trading: Acquiring Shares

Insider Buying vs. Insider Selling

In the past three months, Westlake insiders have bought 28.46% more of their company's stock than they have sold. Specifically, they have bought $7,751.00 in company stock and sold $6,034.00 in company stock.

Percentage Held by Insiders

Only 1.30% of the stock of Westlake is held by insiders.

Percentage Held by Institutions

Only 28.40% of the stock of Westlake is held by institutions.

WLK Stock Analysis - Frequently Asked Questions

How have WLK shares performed this year?

Westlake's stock was trading at $114.65 on January 1st, 2025. Since then, WLK shares have decreased by 27.2% and is now trading at $83.4840.

How were Westlake's earnings last quarter?

Westlake Corp. (NYSE:WLK) released its quarterly earnings data on Friday, May, 2nd. The specialty chemicals company reported ($0.31) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $0.70 by $1.01. The firm's revenue for the quarter was down 4.3% on a year-over-year basis.
Read the conference call transcript.

When did Westlake's stock split?

Westlake shares split on the morning of Wednesday, March 19th 2014.The 2-1 split was announced on Tuesday, February 18th 2014. The newly created shares were payable to shareholders after the market closes on Tuesday, March 18th 2014. An investor that had 100 shares of stock prior to the split would have 200 shares after the split.

Does Westlake have any subsidiaries?

Westlake subsidiaries include these companies: Nakan, Axiall Corporation, Vinnolit Holdings, CertainTeed Corporation, Axiall Canada Inc., Axiall Holdco Inc., Axiall Limited Partnership, and more.

Who are Westlake's major shareholders?

Westlake's top institutional shareholders include Wedge Capital Management L L P NC (0.10%), State of Alaska Department of Revenue (0.02%), MFA Wealth Advisors LLC and Farther Finance Advisors LLC. Insiders that own company stock include Mark Steven Bender, Robert F Buesinger, David Tsung-Hung Chao and Johnathan Stevan Zoeller.
View institutional ownership trends.

How do I buy shares of Westlake?

Shares of WLK stock can be purchased through any online brokerage account. Popular online brokerages with access to the U.S. stock market include Charles Schwab, E*TRADE, Fidelity, and Vanguard Brokerage Services.

What other stocks do shareholders of Westlake own?

Based on aggregate information from My MarketBeat watchlists, some other companies that Westlake investors own include American Water Works (AWK), Waste Connections (WCN), The RMR Group (RMR), DiamondRock Hospitality (DRH), iShares Micro-Cap ETF (IWC), AU Optronics (AUOTY) and Humana (HUM).

Company Calendar

• Last Earnings: 5/02/2025
• Record date for 6/5 Dividend: 5/20/2025
• Ex-Dividend for 6/5 Dividend: 5/20/2025
• Dividend Payable: 6/05/2025
• Today: 7/17/2025
• Next Earnings (Estimated): 8/05/2025
• Fiscal Year End: 12/31/2025

Industry, Sector and Symbol

• Stock Exchange: NYSE
• Sector: Basic Materials
• Industry: CHEM - PLASTICS
• Sub-Industry: Commodity Chemicals
• Current Symbol: NYSE:WLK
• CIK: 1262823
• Web: www.westlake.com
• Phone: (713) 960-9111
• Fax: 713-963-1590
• Employees: 15,540
• Year Founded: 1986

Price Target and Rating

• Average Price Target for Westlake: $93.77
• High Price Target: $100.00
• Low Price Target: $82.00
• Potential Upside/Downside: +11.9%
• Consensus Rating: Moderate Buy
• Rating Score (0-4): 2.54
• Research Coverage: 13 Analysts

Profitability

• EPS (Trailing Twelve Months): $2.98
• Trailing P/E Ratio: 28.15
• Forward P/E Ratio: 12.93
• P/E Growth: 9.72
• Net Income: $602 million
• Net Margins: 3.23%
• Pretax Margin: 5.59%
• Return on Equity: 4.19%
• Return on Assets: 2.21%

Debt

• Debt-to-Equity Ratio: 0.42
• Current Ratio: 2.63
• Quick Ratio: 1.86

Sales & Book Value

• Annual Sales: $12.01 billion
• Price / Sales: 0.89
• Cash Flow: $14.28 per share
• Price / Cash Flow: 5.87
• Book Value: $85.80 per share
• Price / Book: 0.98

Miscellaneous

• Outstanding Shares: 128,238,000
• Free Float: 126,571,000
• Market Cap: $10.75 billion
• Optionable: Optionable
• Beta: 0.91