Wells Fargo & Company Lowers Westlake (NYSE:WLK) Price Target to $110.00

Key Points

• Wells Fargo cut its price target on Westlake from $125 to $110 and maintained an "equal weight" rating, implying about a 9.4% upside from the then-current share price.
• Westlake missed Q1 estimates—EPS ($0.77) vs. ($0.10) expected and revenue $2.65B vs. $2.79B—sending the stock down roughly 4% and prompting downgrades including JPMorgan's move to Underweight with a $90 target.
• Analysts' consensus is a Hold with a $113 price target; the company has a $12.88B market cap and reported negative margins and ROE, highlighting near-term profitability concerns.

Westlake (NYSE:WLK - Get Free Report) had its target price decreased by investment analysts at Wells Fargo & Company from $125.00 to $110.00 in a report released on Wednesday,Benzinga reports. The firm presently has an "equal weight" rating on the specialty chemicals company's stock. Wells Fargo & Company's target price points to a potential upside of 9.40% from the stock's current price.

Several other research analysts have also weighed in on the stock. Weiss Ratings restated a "sell (d)" rating on shares of Westlake in a research note on Monday, April 20th. Zacks Research upgraded shares of Westlake from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Thursday, February 26th. Morgan Stanley set a $115.00 price objective on shares of Westlake and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Tuesday. UBS Group boosted their price objective on shares of Westlake from $129.00 to $139.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 18th. Finally, Bank of America restated a "neutral" rating and set a $119.00 price objective on shares of Westlake in a research note on Monday, April 6th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have given a Buy rating, nine have issued a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $113.00.

Westlake Stock Down 4.0%

NYSE:WLK traded down $4.23 on Wednesday, hitting $100.55. 321,803 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,298,934. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $111.66 and a 200-day moving average price of $89.13. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.55, a current ratio of 2.24 and a quick ratio of 1.65. Westlake has a 52 week low of $56.33 and a 52 week high of $124.23. The company has a market cap of $12.88 billion, a P/E ratio of -8.60 and a beta of 0.67.

Westlake (NYSE:WLK - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, May 5th. The specialty chemicals company reported ($0.77) EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of ($0.10) by ($0.67). Westlake had a negative return on equity of 1.22% and a negative net margin of 13.50%.The business had revenue of $2.65 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.79 billion. During the same period last year, the firm earned ($0.31) earnings per share. The company's quarterly revenue was down 6.8% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, analysts expect that Westlake will post 1.9 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Transactions at Westlake

In other Westlake news, CFO Mark Steven Bender sold 17,409 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $100.92, for a total value of $1,756,916.28. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer owned 44,433 shares of the company's stock, valued at $4,484,178.36. The trade was a 28.15% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. 1.40% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Trading of Westlake

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in WLK. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd bought a new stake in shares of Westlake during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $28,000. Quarry LP bought a new stake in shares of Westlake during the 4th quarter worth approximately $31,000. Fifth Third Bancorp lifted its holdings in shares of Westlake by 71.3% during the 4th quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 562 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock worth $42,000 after acquiring an additional 234 shares during the period. CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC bought a new stake in shares of Westlake during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $53,000. Finally, Hantz Financial Services Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Westlake by 180.3% during the 3rd quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. now owns 740 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock worth $57,000 after acquiring an additional 476 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 28.40% of the company's stock.

Key Stories Impacting Westlake

Here are the key news stories impacting Westlake this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Westlake Epoxy’s Deer Park site earned ISCC PLUS certification, expanding its sustainable EpoVIVE™ mass-balance offering across Europe and the U.S., which could support product differentiation and longer‑term demand. Westlake Epoxy’s Deer Park, Texas, Site Achieves ISCC PLUS Certification
• Neutral Sentiment: Full Q1 2026 earnings call transcript is available for investors wanting management commentary on volumes, pricing and outlook. Westlake Corporation (WLK) Q1 2026 Earnings Call Transcript
• Neutral Sentiment: Company press release with the Q1 results and supporting slide deck is posted — useful for the detailed P&L, segment results and any forward guidance language. Westlake Corporation Reports First Quarter 2026 Results
• Negative Sentiment: JPMorgan downgraded WLK from Neutral to Underweight with a $90 price target, signaling expected further downside versus recent levels and putting additional selling pressure on the stock. Finviz (JPMorgan downgrade summary)
• Negative Sentiment: Coverage reporting emphasizes the stock plunge after the earnings miss and a weak outlook; headlines and media attention amplify short‑term downside. Westlake shares plunge after earnings miss and weak outlook
• Negative Sentiment: Analysts and data sites highlight that Q1 EPS and revenue both lagged estimates and the company recorded a larger loss than a year ago, raising near‑term profitability concerns. Westlake (WLK) Reports Q1 Loss, Lags Revenue Estimates

About Westlake

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.

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