UBS Group Raises Westlake (NYSE:WLK) Price Target to $139.00

Westlake (NYSE:WLK) had its target price upped by analysts at UBS Group from $129.00 to $139.00 in a research note issued to investors on Wednesday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage presently has a “buy” rating on the specialty chemicals company’s stock. UBS Group’s target price would suggest a potential upside of 21.66% from the stock’s current price.

WLK has been the topic of several other research reports. Bank of America reissued a “buy” rating on shares of Westlake in a research report on Monday, March 2nd. Morgan Stanley set a $80.00 target price on shares of Westlake in a report on Monday, December 15th. Citigroup raised their price target on Westlake from $124.00 to $130.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, March 12th. Mizuho lifted their price target on Westlake from $88.00 to $97.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 25th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reissued a “sell (d)” rating on shares of Westlake in a 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 issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Westlake presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $99.47.

Westlake Stock Up 2.5%

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

Westlake (NYSE:WLK) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 24th. The specialty chemicals company reported ($0.25) earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of ($1.47) by $1.22. The company 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 firm’s revenue for the quarter was down 10.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $0.06 EPS. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Westlake will post 6.48 EPS for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Westlake

In related news, Chairman Albert Chao sold 40,836 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, December 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $73.57, for a total value of $3,004,304.52. Following the sale, the chairman owned 627,722 shares in the company, valued at approximately $46,181,507.54. This trade represents a 6.11% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale 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 Westlake stock in a transaction on Friday, February 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $100.92, for a total value of $1,756,916.28. Following the sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 44,433 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,484,178.36. This represents a 28.15% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Corporate insiders own 1.30% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd purchased a new stake in Westlake in the third quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Quarry LP purchased a new position in Westlake in the 4th quarter worth approximately $31,000. Fifth Third Bancorp increased its holdings in shares of Westlake by 71.3% in the 4th quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 562 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $42,000 after buying an additional 234 shares during the last quarter. CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Westlake during the 3rd quarter valued at $53,000. Finally, Hantz Financial Services Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of 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 acquiring an additional 476 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 28.40% of the company’s stock.

Key Westlake News

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.