BlackRock Inc. Makes New Investment in Westlake Corporation $WLK

Posted by Brenda Bartman on Aug 27th, 2026

BlackRock Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Westlake Corporation (NYSE:WLK – Free Report) in the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor acquired 3,294,162 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock, valued at approximately $240,474,000.

A number of other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the stock. Orbis Allan Gray Ltd raised its position in shares of Westlake by 12.1% during the fourth quarter. Orbis Allan Gray Ltd now owns 4,386,635 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $324,348,000 after purchasing an additional 472,224 shares during the period. Wellington Management Group LLP boosted its position in shares of Westlake by 7,239.1% in the 4th quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 4,220,717 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $312,080,000 after purchasing an additional 4,163,207 shares during the period. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its stake in Westlake by 13.9% in the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 3,917,329 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $289,647,000 after purchasing an additional 477,698 shares in the last quarter. Capital World Investors purchased a new position in Westlake in the 4th quarter worth about $160,548,000. Finally, Dimensional Fund Advisors LP raised its holdings in Westlake by 45.0% during the 4th quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 1,885,678 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $139,431,000 after buying an additional 585,438 shares during the period. 28.40% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages have commented on WLK. UBS Group reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $117.00 target price (down from $130.00) on shares of Westlake in a report on Friday, June 5th. Wells Fargo & Company cut their price target on shares of Westlake from $110.00 to $89.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, August 5th. Citigroup reduced their price target on shares of Westlake from $95.00 to $85.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, June 24th. Morgan Stanley decreased their price objective on shares of Westlake from $106.00 to $92.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, July 2nd. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. upgraded shares of Westlake from an “underweight” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $90.00 price objective on the stock in a research report on Monday, May 18th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, ten have issued a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $93.92.

Get Our Latest Analysis on Westlake

Westlake Stock Down 0.5%

Westlake stock opened at $74.46 on Thursday. The firm has a market cap of $9.52 billion, a PE ratio of -7.77 and a beta of 0.63. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.55, a quick ratio of 1.70 and a current ratio of 2.45. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $76.30 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $93.22. Westlake Corporation has a twelve month low of $56.33 and a twelve month high of $124.23.

Westlake (NYSE:WLK – Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, August 4th. The specialty chemicals company reported $2.01 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.83 by $0.18. Westlake had a negative net margin of 10.94% and a positive return on equity of 0.93%. The company had revenue of $3.27 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.24 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted ($1.11) EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 10.8% on a year-over-year basis. On average, research analysts predict that Westlake Corporation will post 3.35 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Westlake Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, September 10th. Investors of record on Tuesday, August 25th will be issued a dividend of $0.533 per share. This is a positive change from Westlake’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.53. This represents a $2.13 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.9%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, August 25th. Westlake’s dividend payout ratio is -22.23%.

Insider Transactions at Westlake

In other Westlake news, Chairman Albert Chao sold 38,873 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, August 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $80.28, for a total value of $3,120,724.44. Following the transaction, the chairman owned 642,880 shares in the company, valued at $51,610,406.40. The trade was a 5.70% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Insiders own 1.40% of the company’s stock.

Key Headlines Impacting Westlake

Here are the key news stories impacting Westlake this week:

Positive Sentiment: Zacks raised its EPS forecasts for Q1 2027 to $0.50 from $0.43, Q2 2027 to $0.99 from $0.66, Q4 2027 to $0.56 from $0.14, and full-year 2027 to $2.40 from $1.96. The firm also increased its Q2 2028 estimate to $0.65 from $0.35. These revisions suggest some expected improvement in portions of Westlake’s specialty-chemicals business. Westlake analyst estimates
Positive Sentiment: Recent coverage highlighted Westlake’s stronger quarterly results: the company reported adjusted EPS of $2.01, exceeding the $1.83 consensus estimate, while revenue of $3.27 billion also topped expectations and increased 10.8% year over year. Why Is Westlake in Focus After Stronger Results?
Neutral Sentiment: Analysts collectively rate Westlake at “Hold,” indicating that improving results are offset by concerns about the broader earnings outlook. Westlake Receives Consensus Hold Recommendation
Negative Sentiment: Zacks cut its Q3 2027 EPS forecast to $0.34 from $0.73, Q1 2028 to a loss of $0.37 from a loss of $0.02, and FY2028 to $1.60 from $2.00. Its FY2026 estimate of $2.78 is also below the broader full-year consensus of $3.43, reinforcing concerns about profitability.
Negative Sentiment: Westlake’s valuation backdrop remains challenging: the company recently reported a negative net margin, and its shares remain well below their 200-day moving average. The combination of a “Strong Sell” rating, uneven forward estimates, and cyclical chemical-market risks is likely contributing to the stock’s weakness.

Westlake Company Profile

(Free Report)

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.