What is Zacks Research's Estimate for Westlake Q2 Earnings?

Key Points

• Zacks Research lowered its Q2 2027 EPS estimate for Westlake to $0.66 from $0.77, while keeping a Hold rating on the stock.
• Westlake’s most recent earnings were weaker than expected, with the company reporting ($0.77) EPS and $2.65 billion in revenue, missing analyst estimates on both profit and sales.
• Analyst sentiment is mixed but leans cautious: Westlake currently has a consensus Hold rating and an average price target of $110.43, while shares recently traded at $88.63.

Westlake Corporation (NYSE:WLK - Free Report) - Investment analysts at Zacks Research dropped their Q2 2027 earnings per share estimates for Westlake in a report released on Friday, May 22nd. Zacks Research analyst Team now expects that the specialty chemicals company will post earnings of $0.66 per share for the quarter, down from their previous forecast of $0.77. Zacks Research has a "Hold" rating on the stock. The consensus estimate for Westlake's current full-year earnings is $3.73 per share. Zacks Research also issued estimates for Westlake's Q4 2027 earnings at $0.14 EPS and FY2028 earnings at $2.00 EPS.

Several other research firms have also recently issued reports on WLK. Truist Financial upped their price target on Westlake from $117.00 to $127.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday, March 26th. Wall Street Zen cut Westlake from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a report on Sunday, May 3rd. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a "sell (d)" rating on shares of Westlake in a report on Monday, April 20th. BMO Capital Markets raised Westlake from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and upped their price target for the company from $108.00 to $127.00 in a report on Thursday, March 5th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reaffirmed a "hold" rating and issued a $115.00 price target on shares of Westlake in a report on Thursday, May 7th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have assigned a Buy rating, nine have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Westlake currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $110.43.

Westlake Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:WLK opened at $88.63 on Monday. Westlake has a 12 month low of $56.33 and a 12 month high of $124.23. The stock has a market cap of $11.35 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -6.98 and a beta of 0.67. The stock's 50 day moving average price is $108.76 and its 200 day moving average price is $90.76. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.56, a current ratio of 2.17 and a quick ratio of 1.56.

Westlake (NYSE:WLK - Get Free Report) last announced its 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 1.89% and a negative net margin of 14.91%.The firm had revenue of $2.65 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.79 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned ($0.31) EPS. Westlake's revenue for the quarter was down 6.8% on a year-over-year basis.

Westlake Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, June 11th. Investors of record on Wednesday, May 27th will be given a $0.53 dividend. This represents a $2.12 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.4%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, May 27th. Westlake's dividend payout ratio is -16.69%.

Insider Transactions at Westlake

In other Westlake news, CFO Mark Steven Bender sold 17,409 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Friday, February 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $100.92, for a total transaction of $1,756,916.28. Following the sale, the chief financial officer directly 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 sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. 1.40% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Trading of Westlake

Large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. SG Americas Securities LLC raised its stake in Westlake by 433.4% during the 4th quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 37,011 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock valued at $2,737,000 after purchasing an additional 30,072 shares during the period. Aventail Capital Group LP acquired a new stake in Westlake during the 3rd quarter valued at $6,037,000. Citigroup Inc. raised its stake in Westlake by 61.3% during the 3rd quarter. Citigroup Inc. now owns 117,151 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock valued at $9,028,000 after purchasing an additional 44,525 shares during the period. Erste Asset Management GmbH raised its stake in Westlake by 51.6% during the 3rd quarter. Erste Asset Management GmbH now owns 260,000 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock valued at $20,025,000 after purchasing an additional 88,499 shares during the period. Finally, Diamond Hill Capital Management Inc. acquired a new stake in Westlake during the 4th quarter valued at $14,062,000. 28.40% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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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