Legal & General Group Plc lifted its holdings in shares of Westlake Corporation (NYSE:WLK – Free Report) by 56.3% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 57,251 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock after acquiring an additional 20,619 shares during the period. Legal & General Group Plc’s holdings in Westlake were worth $4,233,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.
Other large investors have also modified their holdings of the company. SG Americas Securities LLC grew its stake in shares of Westlake by 433.4% during the fourth quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 37,011 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $2,737,000 after acquiring an additional 30,072 shares during the last quarter. Aventail Capital Group LP purchased a new stake in shares of Westlake during the third quarter worth about $6,037,000. Diamond Hill Capital Management Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Westlake during the fourth quarter worth about $14,062,000. Citigroup Inc. grew its stake in shares of Westlake by 61.3% during the third quarter. Citigroup Inc. now owns 117,151 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $9,028,000 after acquiring an additional 44,525 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Erste Asset Management GmbH grew its stake in shares of Westlake by 51.6% during the third quarter. Erste Asset Management GmbH now owns 260,000 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $20,025,000 after acquiring an additional 88,499 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 28.40% of the company’s stock.
Westlake Trading Up 0.7%
Shares of WLK stock opened at $85.26 on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.56, a current ratio of 2.17 and a quick ratio of 1.56. The company has a market cap of $10.92 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -6.71 and a beta of 0.58. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $103.27 and a 200-day simple moving average of $92.56. Westlake Corporation has a 1-year low of $56.33 and a 1-year high of $124.23.
Westlake Dividend Announcement
The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, June 11th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, May 27th will be paid a dividend of $0.53 per share. This represents a $2.12 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.5%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, May 27th. Westlake’s dividend payout ratio is presently -16.69%.
Analyst Ratings Changes
A number of equities research analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Morgan Stanley set a $115.00 price target on Westlake and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, May 5th. BMO Capital Markets upgraded Westlake from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and upped their target price for the company from $108.00 to $127.00 in a research report on Thursday, March 5th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upgraded Westlake from an “underweight” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $90.00 target price on the stock in a research report on Monday, May 18th. Truist Financial upped their target price on Westlake from $117.00 to $127.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, March 26th. Finally, Wall Street Zen lowered Westlake from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Sunday, May 3rd. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, four have given a Buy rating, ten have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $107.36.
Get Our Latest Analysis on WLK
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.
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