Zacks Research Has Bearish Forecast for Westlake Q3 Earnings

Westlake Corp. (NYSE:WLK - Free Report) - Zacks Research lowered their Q3 2026 earnings estimates for shares of Westlake in a note issued to investors on Tuesday, July 15th. Zacks Research analyst R. Department now anticipates that the specialty chemicals company will post earnings per share of $1.57 for the quarter, down from their previous estimate of $1.76. The consensus estimate for Westlake's current full-year earnings is $6.48 per share. Zacks Research also issued estimates for Westlake's Q4 2026 earnings at $0.38 EPS and Q1 2027 earnings at $0.92 EPS.

Other research analysts also recently issued research reports about the company. Morgan Stanley lowered their target price on Westlake from $122.00 to $98.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research note on Monday, May 12th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target on Westlake from $76.00 to $90.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a report on Monday, July 14th. BMO Capital Markets set a $94.00 price target on Westlake and gave the stock a "market perform" rating in a report on Tuesday, May 20th. UBS Group reduced their price target on Westlake from $101.00 to $99.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, July 9th. Finally, Wall Street Zen cut Westlake from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a report on Friday, May 9th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have assigned a hold rating and seven have assigned a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $93.77.

Westlake Price Performance

WLK stock traded down $2.06 during midday trading on Thursday, reaching $81.37. The company had a trading volume of 863,474 shares, compared to its average volume of 759,141. The company has a market capitalization of $10.43 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.31, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 9.71 and a beta of 0.91. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $77.48 and a 200-day moving average price of $94.53. Westlake has a 1-year low of $68.55 and a 1-year high of $153.34. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.42, a current ratio of 2.63 and a quick ratio of 1.86.

Westlake (NYSE:WLK - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Friday, May 2nd. The specialty chemicals company reported ($0.31) EPS for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $0.70 by ($1.01). Westlake had a return on equity of 4.19% and a net margin of 3.23%. The company had revenue of $2.85 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.97 billion. During the same period last year, the firm earned $1.34 earnings per share. The company's revenue for the quarter was down 4.3% compared to the same quarter last year.

Westlake Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, June 5th. Investors of record on Tuesday, May 20th were given a dividend of $0.525 per share. This represents a $2.10 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.58%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, May 20th. Westlake's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 70.47%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Westlake

A number of hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Private Trust Co. NA increased its holdings in shares of Westlake by 251.1% in the 1st quarter. Private Trust Co. NA now owns 316 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock valued at $32,000 after acquiring an additional 226 shares during the period. Signaturefd LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Westlake by 127.1% in the 1st quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 427 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock valued at $43,000 after buying an additional 239 shares during the period. UMB Bank n.a. increased its stake in shares of Westlake by 107.0% in the 2nd quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 565 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock valued at $43,000 after purchasing an additional 292 shares in the last quarter. Transamerica Financial Advisors Inc. increased its stake in shares of Westlake by 1,668.2% in the 4th quarter. Transamerica Financial Advisors Inc. now owns 389 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock valued at $45,000 after purchasing an additional 367 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Fifth Third Bancorp increased its stake in shares of Westlake by 71.9% in the 1st quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 514 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock valued at $51,000 after purchasing an additional 215 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 28.40% of the company's stock.

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.