Zacks Research Comments on Westlake’s Q1 Earnings (NYSE:WLK)

Westlake Co. (NYSE:WLK) – Stock analysts at Zacks Research reduced their Q1 2026 earnings per share (EPS) estimates for shares of Westlake in a report issued on Thursday, March 13th. Zacks Research analyst R. Department now forecasts that the specialty chemicals company will earn $2.05 per share for the quarter, down from their prior forecast of $2.20. The consensus estimate for Westlake’s current full-year earnings is $6.48 per share. Zacks Research also issued estimates for Westlake’s Q3 2026 earnings at $2.33 EPS and FY2027 earnings at $8.02 EPS.

A number of other research firms have also weighed in on WLK. Morgan Stanley dropped their price objective on shares of Westlake from $130.00 to $122.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, February 26th. Barclays lowered their price target on Westlake from $175.00 to $135.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, February 25th. Citigroup raised shares of Westlake from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and dropped their price target for the company from $152.00 to $140.00 in a research report on Wednesday, December 18th. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price target on Westlake from $160.00 to $130.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, February 25th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised Westlake from an “underweight” rating to a “neutral” rating and decreased their target price for the company from $135.00 to $110.00 in a research report on Thursday, February 27th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have given a hold rating and nine have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $140.07.

Westlake Price Performance

WLK stock opened at $107.39 on Monday. The company’s 50-day moving average is $112.81 and its 200-day moving average is $125.54. The stock has a market capitalization of $13.77 billion, a PE ratio of 151.25, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.36 and a beta of 1.18. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.41, a current ratio of 2.79 and a quick ratio of 2.04. Westlake has a 1 year low of $104.74 and a 1 year high of $162.64.

Westlake (NYSE:WLK) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Monday, February 24th. The specialty chemicals company reported $0.06 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.04 by ($0.98). Westlake had a return on equity of 6.93% and a net margin of 0.81%. The firm had revenue of $2.84 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.01 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $0.72 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up .6% on a year-over-year basis.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Westlake

Hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans increased its position in shares of Westlake by 1.1% in the third quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans now owns 7,855 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $1,181,000 after acquiring an additional 89 shares during the period. Treasurer of the State of North Carolina grew its position in shares of Westlake by 0.6% in the 4th quarter. Treasurer of the State of North Carolina now owns 14,742 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $1,690,000 after buying an additional 90 shares during the period. Continuum Advisory LLC increased its stake in shares of Westlake by 43.2% in the 3rd quarter. Continuum Advisory LLC now owns 318 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $48,000 after acquiring an additional 96 shares in the last quarter. Oppenheimer & Co. Inc. lifted its position in Westlake by 3.8% during the 3rd quarter. Oppenheimer & Co. Inc. now owns 2,624 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $394,000 after acquiring an additional 97 shares during the period. Finally, Nissay Asset Management Corp Japan ADV boosted its stake in Westlake by 2.2% in the 4th quarter. Nissay Asset Management Corp Japan ADV now owns 4,877 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $557,000 after purchasing an additional 104 shares in the last quarter. 28.40% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Westlake Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, March 19th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, March 4th will be paid a $0.525 dividend. This represents a $2.10 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.96%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, March 4th. Westlake’s dividend payout ratio is currently 45.36%.

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.