Westlake (NYSE:WLK) Price Target Raised to $139.00

Westlake (NYSE:WLK) had its price objective raised by research analysts at UBS Group from $129.00 to $139.00 in a report issued on Wednesday,Benzinga reports. The firm currently has a “buy” rating on the specialty chemicals company’s stock. UBS Group’s price objective indicates a potential upside of 21.66% from the company’s previous close.

Other equities research analysts also recently issued reports about the company. Truist Financial lifted their target price on Westlake from $82.00 to $99.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 21st. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target on Westlake from $100.00 to $110.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Friday, March 13th. Mizuho lifted their price objective on shares of Westlake from $88.00 to $97.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 25th. Bank of America reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of Westlake in a research report on Monday, March 2nd. Finally, Citigroup increased their target price 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. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have assigned a Buy rating, eight have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $99.47.

Westlake Stock Performance

Shares of WLK stock opened at $114.26 on Wednesday. The business’s 50 day simple moving average is $95.00 and its 200 day simple moving average is $81.65. Westlake has a one year low of $56.33 and a one year high of $116.46. The stock has a market capitalization of $14.61 billion, a PE ratio of -9.86 and a beta of 0.83. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.55, a current ratio of 2.24 and a quick ratio of 1.65.

Westlake (NYSE:WLK) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, February 24th. The specialty chemicals company reported ($0.25) earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates 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 business had revenue of $2.53 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.61 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $0.06 earnings per share. Westlake’s quarterly revenue was down 10.9% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, research analysts forecast that Westlake will post 6.48 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Transactions at Westlake

In other Westlake news, Chairman Albert Chao sold 40,836 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, December 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $73.57, for a total transaction of $3,004,304.52. Following the transaction, the chairman directly owned 627,722 shares in the company, valued at approximately $46,181,507.54. This trade represents a 6.11% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CFO Mark Steven Bender sold 17,409 shares of Westlake 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 transaction, the chief financial officer directly owned 44,433 shares in the company, valued at $4,484,178.36. This represents a 28.15% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. 1.30% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd bought a new position in shares of Westlake during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $28,000. Quarry LP purchased a new stake in shares of Westlake during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Fifth Third Bancorp lifted its holdings in Westlake by 71.3% during the fourth quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 562 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $42,000 after acquiring an additional 234 shares during the period. CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC bought a new stake in Westlake during the third quarter worth $53,000. Finally, Hantz Financial Services Inc. boosted its position in Westlake by 180.3% in the third 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 hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Westlake News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting Westlake this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Zacks slightly raised its Q4 2026 estimate to ($0.20) from ($0.24), and nudged Q4 2027 to $0.09 from $0.07 — small upside items that suggest later‑year recovery is possible.
• Neutral Sentiment: Zacks reiterated a “Hold” rating and published a set of multi‑year projections (including FY2028 at $1.90) that provide a longer‑term framework but don’t change the immediate outlook materially.
• Negative Sentiment: Zacks cut FY2027 EPS to $1.68 from $2.98 and trimmed FY2026 to $0.75 from $1.07, signaling weaker expected profitability next year and weighing on sentiment.
• Negative Sentiment: Multiple quarterly downgrades for 2026–2027: Q1 2026 to ($0.38) (from ($0.19)), Q2 2026 to $0.73 (from $0.83), Q3 2026 to $0.61 (from $0.66), Q1 2027 to $0.10 (from $0.65), Q2 2027 to $0.77 (from $1.43), and Q3 2027 to $0.72 (from $0.84). These cuts compress near‑term earnings visibility and likely drove selling pressure.

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.