Westlake (NYSE:WLK) Given New $97.00 Price Target at Mizuho

Westlake (NYSE:WLK) had its price target upped by Mizuho from $88.00 to $97.00 in a research note issued to investors on Wednesday morning,Benzinga reports. Mizuho currently has a neutral rating on the specialty chemicals company’s stock.

Several other equities research analysts have also recently commented on WLK. BMO Capital Markets reiterated a “market perform” rating and set a $83.00 price target (down from $91.00) on shares of Westlake in a research report on Tuesday, November 4th. UBS Group reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $92.00 price objective (down from $93.00) on shares of Westlake in a research note on Tuesday, December 23rd. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “sell (d)” rating on shares of Westlake in a report on Wednesday, January 21st. Citigroup reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $100.00 target price (up from $85.00) on shares of Westlake in a research report on Tuesday, January 13th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group set a $78.00 price target on Westlake and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, October 31st. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have assigned a Buy rating, eight have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $92.53.

Westlake Trading Down 1.0%

WLK stock opened at $103.13 on Wednesday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.39, a current ratio of 2.24 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.55. Westlake has a twelve month low of $56.33 and a twelve month high of $114.75. The company has a market cap of $13.23 billion, a P/E ratio of -8.81, a PEG ratio of 52.44 and a beta of 0.91. The business has a fifty day moving average of $85.85 and a 200-day moving average of $79.47.

Westlake (NYSE:WLK) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 24th. The specialty chemicals company reported ($0.25) EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of ($1.47) by $1.22. The firm had revenue of $2.53 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.61 billion. Westlake had a negative return on equity of 1.22% and a negative net margin of 13.50%.The company’s revenue was down 10.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the company earned $0.06 earnings per share. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Westlake will post 6.48 EPS for the current year.

Westlake Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, March 18th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, March 3rd will be given a dividend of $0.53 per share. This represents a $2.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.1%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, March 3rd. Westlake’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently -18.12%.

Insider Activity

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

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in WLK. Orbis Allan Gray Ltd grew its stake in Westlake by 12.1% in the fourth quarter. Orbis Allan Gray Ltd now owns 4,386,635 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $324,348,000 after acquiring an additional 472,224 shares during the period. Wellington Management Group LLP raised its position in shares of Westlake by 7,239.1% during the fourth quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 4,220,717 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $312,080,000 after purchasing an additional 4,163,207 shares during the period. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Westlake by 13.9% during the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 3,917,329 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $289,647,000 after purchasing an additional 477,698 shares in the last quarter. Capital World Investors acquired a new position in shares of Westlake in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $160,548,000. Finally, Dimensional Fund Advisors LP increased its stake in Westlake by 45.0% during the 4th quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 1,885,678 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $139,431,000 after purchasing an additional 585,438 shares in the last quarter. 28.40% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Trending Headlines about Westlake

Here are the key news stories impacting Westlake this week:

• Positive Sentiment: UBS raised its price target sharply to $129 and initiated/maintained a Buy view, implying ~25% upside versus the current price — a clear bullish catalyst for investors expecting a recovery. UBS price target raise
• Positive Sentiment: Q4 EPS beat expectations: Westlake reported a narrower adjusted loss and beat consensus on EPS, which analysts and management say could set the stage for a profit rebound in 2026 — this helped spur short‑term buying after the print. WLK Q4 Earnings Beat, Sales Miss
• Positive Sentiment: Business development: Westlake expanded an epoxy distribution partnership with Brenntag in India, supporting APAC growth exposure if volumes recover. India distribution expansion
• Neutral Sentiment: BMO Capital reiterated a Hold and a $108 target, signaling balanced risk/reward despite Q4 positives and cost‑saving potential — keeps sentiment mixed. BMO Hold maintained
• Negative Sentiment: Revenue and fundamentals were weaker: Q4 sales missed estimates and were down ~10.9% YoY, with weak volumes and pricing, negative net margin and a negative ROE — headwinds to near‑term earnings. Press release / Q4 results
• Negative Sentiment: Mizuho lifted its target to $97 but kept a Neutral rating — that PT sits below the current price and signals potential downside from some analysts’ perspectives. Mizuho price target update

Westlake Company Profile

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.