What is Zacks Research’s Forecast for Westlake Q1 Earnings?

Westlake Corporation (NYSE:WLK) – Equities research analysts at Zacks Research reduced their Q1 2026 earnings per share (EPS) estimates for Westlake in a report issued on Monday, March 16th. Zacks Research analyst Team now forecasts that the specialty chemicals company will earn ($0.38) per share for the quarter, down from their previous forecast of ($0.19). 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 Q4 2026 earnings at ($0.20) EPS, FY2026 earnings at $0.75 EPS, Q1 2027 earnings at $0.10 EPS, Q2 2027 earnings at $0.77 EPS and FY2027 earnings at $1.68 EPS.

Several other equities research analysts also recently issued reports on WLK. Citigroup boosted their price objective on shares of Westlake from $124.00 to $130.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, March 12th. UBS Group raised their target price on shares of Westlake from $129.00 to $139.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday. Mizuho upped their price target on shares of Westlake from $88.00 to $97.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 25th. Morgan Stanley set a $80.00 price target on Westlake in a report on Monday, December 15th. Finally, Truist Financial raised their price objective on Westlake from $82.00 to $99.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 21st. One equities research 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 stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $99.47.

Westlake Trading Up 1.2%

NYSE WLK opened at $112.74 on Wednesday. The firm has a market capitalization of $14.42 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -9.64 and a beta of 0.83. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.55, a quick ratio of 1.65 and a current ratio of 2.24. Westlake has a one year low of $56.33 and a one year high of $116.46. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $95.76 and its 200 day moving average price is $81.86.

Westlake (NYSE:WLK) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 24th. The specialty chemicals company reported ($0.25) earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of ($1.47) by $1.22. The business had revenue of $2.53 billion for 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% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $0.06 EPS.

Institutional Trading of Westlake

Large investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd acquired a new position in shares of Westlake in the third quarter worth about $28,000. Quarry LP acquired a new stake in Westlake during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Fifth Third Bancorp grew its stake in Westlake by 71.3% during the 4th 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 purchased a new stake in Westlake during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $53,000. Finally, Hantz Financial Services Inc. increased its holdings in Westlake by 180.3% during the 3rd quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. now owns 740 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $57,000 after purchasing an additional 476 shares during the last quarter. 28.40% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Buying and Selling at Westlake

In related news, Chairman Albert Chao sold 40,836 shares of Westlake stock in a transaction 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 of the company’s stock, valued at $46,181,507.54. The trade was a 6.11% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CFO Mark Steven Bender sold 17,409 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, February 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $100.92, for a total transaction of $1,756,916.28. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 44,433 shares in the company, valued at $4,484,178.36. This represents a 28.15% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. 1.30% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Westlake Announces Dividend

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

Key Stories Impacting Westlake

Here are the key news stories impacting Westlake this week:

• Positive Sentiment: UBS raised its price target on Westlake to $139 (from $129) and put a Buy rating on the stock — implying roughly a 23% upside from current levels. That upgrade and higher PT are the primary bullish driver today, supporting the stock’s gain. Benzinga TickerReport
• Neutral Sentiment: Zacks issued a mixed set of small upward tweaks to some out‑quarter estimates (Q4 2026 EPS revised modestly to ($0.20) from ($0.24); Q4 2027 to $0.09 from $0.07) and published FY2028 modeling. These marginal improvements in a few out quarters are unlikely to move the stock materially on their own but slightly offset larger cuts elsewhere.
• Negative Sentiment: Zacks cut multiple near‑term and medium‑term earnings forecasts and trimmed FY2026–FY2027 outlooks (examples: Q1 2026 to ($0.38), Q1 2027 to $0.10 from $0.65, Q2 2027 to $0.77 from $1.43; FY2026 to $0.75, FY2027 to $1.68 from $2.98). Zacks maintains a Hold rating — these downward revisions highlight weaker expected near‑term operating performance and are a bearish signal for investors focused on cyclical demand and margin recovery.

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.