Zacks Research Forecasts Westlake’s Q2 Earnings (NYSE:WLK)

Westlake Corporation (NYSE:WLK) – Analysts at Zacks Research dropped their Q2 2026 earnings per share (EPS) estimates for shares of Westlake in a research note issued to investors on Monday, March 16th. Zacks Research analyst Team now expects that the specialty chemicals company will earn $0.73 per share for the quarter, down from their previous forecast of $0.83. Zacks Research has a “Hold” rating on the stock. 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 $0.61 EPS, Q3 2027 earnings at $0.72 EPS, Q4 2027 earnings at $0.09 EPS and FY2028 earnings at $1.90 EPS.

WLK has been the topic of several other research reports. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “sell (d)” rating on shares of Westlake in a research note on Wednesday, January 21st. Bank of America reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of Westlake in a report on Monday, March 2nd. KeyCorp reiterated a “sector weight” rating on shares of Westlake in a research report on Tuesday, December 16th. BMO Capital Markets raised Westlake from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and increased their price target for the company from $108.00 to $127.00 in a research note on Thursday, March 5th. Finally, Mizuho lifted their price objective on Westlake from $88.00 to $97.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 25th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have issued a Buy rating, eight have given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Westlake has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $98.80.

Westlake Stock Performance

WLK opened at $111.48 on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.55, a quick ratio of 1.65 and a current ratio of 2.24. The stock has a market capitalization of $14.26 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -9.53 and a beta of 0.83. The company has a fifty day moving average of $95.00 and a 200 day moving average of $81.65. Westlake has a fifty-two week low of $56.33 and a fifty-two week high of $116.46.

Westlake (NYSE:WLK) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 24th. The specialty chemicals company reported ($0.25) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of ($1.47) by $1.22. Westlake had a negative net margin of 13.50% and a negative return on equity of 1.22%. The firm had revenue of $2.53 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.61 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $0.06 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was down 10.9% compared to the same quarter last year.

Westlake Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, March 18th. Investors of record on Tuesday, March 3rd will be given a dividend of $0.53 per share. This represents a $2.12 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.9%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, March 3rd. Westlake’s payout ratio is presently -18.12%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Westlake

In other news, CFO Mark Steven Bender sold 17,409 shares of the company’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 completion of the sale, the chief financial officer owned 44,433 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,484,178.36. This represents a 28.15% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, Chairman Albert Chao sold 40,836 shares of the stock in a transaction dated 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 completion of the sale, the chairman owned 627,722 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $46,181,507.54. This trade represents a 6.11% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. 1.30% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Westlake

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd purchased a new position in Westlake in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $28,000. Quarry LP purchased a new stake in shares of Westlake in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Fifth Third Bancorp grew its position in shares of Westlake by 71.3% in the fourth quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 562 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $42,000 after purchasing an additional 234 shares in the last quarter. CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Westlake in the third quarter valued at approximately $53,000. Finally, Hantz Financial Services Inc. lifted its position in Westlake by 180.3% during the third quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. now owns 740 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $57,000 after buying an additional 476 shares in the last quarter. 28.40% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.