Westlake Corporation $WLK Stock Position Trimmed by ANTIPODES PARTNERS Ltd

ANTIPODES PARTNERS Ltd decreased its position in Westlake Corporation (NYSE:WLK) by 32.5% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 555,904 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock after selling 267,265 shares during the period. ANTIPODES PARTNERS Ltd owned approximately 0.43% of Westlake worth $42,841,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in WLK. KBC Group NV grew its position in Westlake by 79.9% in the 2nd quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 48,014 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $3,646,000 after buying an additional 21,319 shares in the last quarter. Neo Ivy Capital Management acquired a new stake in shares of Westlake in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $404,000. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in shares of Westlake in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $104,314,000. Hsbc Holdings PLC boosted its holdings in shares of Westlake by 142.8% in the second quarter. Hsbc Holdings PLC now owns 25,833 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $1,963,000 after acquiring an additional 15,193 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Brandes Investment Partners LP increased its stake in shares of Westlake by 246.0% during the second quarter. Brandes Investment Partners LP now owns 1,456,871 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $110,621,000 after acquiring an additional 1,035,851 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 28.40% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

WLK has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. KeyCorp restated a “sector weight” rating on shares of Westlake in a research report on Tuesday, December 16th. Citigroup restated a “buy” rating and issued a $100.00 price objective (up previously from $85.00) on shares of Westlake in a report on Tuesday, January 13th. Morgan Stanley set a $80.00 target price on Westlake in a research note on Monday, December 15th. Alembic Global Advisors set a $80.00 price target on shares of Westlake in a research report on Monday, November 17th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group set a $78.00 price objective on shares of Westlake and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, October 31st. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have assigned a Buy rating, eight have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $89.47.

Insider Buying and Selling at Westlake

In other news, Chairman Albert Chao sold 40,836 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, December 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $73.57, for a total transaction of $3,004,304.52. Following the sale, the chairman owned 627,722 shares in the company, valued at $46,181,507.54. The trade was a 6.11% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 1.30% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Westlake Trading Down 1.0%

Shares of NYSE WLK opened at $94.14 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.39, a current ratio of 1.99 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.39. Westlake Corporation has a 12 month low of $56.33 and a 12 month high of $114.75. The company has a market cap of $12.07 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -12.69, a P/E/G ratio of 47.85 and a beta of 0.91. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $84.26 and a 200-day simple moving average of $79.09.

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.