Westlake Corporation (NYSE:WLK – Get Free Report)’s stock price crossed above its 50 day moving average during trading on Friday. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $67.98 and traded as high as $68.35. Westlake shares last traded at $68.21, with a volume of 1,181,941 shares changing hands.
Analysts Set New Price Targets
Several analysts have recently weighed in on WLK shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price objective on shares of Westlake from $80.00 to $65.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, October 16th. Citigroup reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and issued a $67.00 target price (down from $85.00) on shares of Westlake in a research note on Monday, October 5th. Zacks Research cut shares of Westlake from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a report on Friday, October 23rd. Royal Bank Of Canada lowered their price target on Westlake from $95.00 to $74.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, October 13th. Finally, Truist Financial decreased their target price on shares of Westlake from $104.00 to $90.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, October 1st. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eight have assigned a Hold rating and three have issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $81.13.
Check Out Our Latest Analysis on WLK
Westlake Stock Performance
The stock has a market capitalization of $8.72 billion, a PE ratio of -7.12 and a beta of 0.69. The business’s 50 day moving average is $67.98 and its 200 day moving average is $86.67. The company has a current ratio of 2.45, a quick ratio of 1.70 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.55.
Westlake (NYSE:WLK – Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, August 4th. The specialty chemicals company reported $2.01 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.83 by $0.18. The company had revenue of $3.27 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.24 billion. Westlake had a negative net margin of 10.94% and a positive return on equity of 0.93%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 10.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted ($1.11) EPS. On average, equities research analysts predict that Westlake Corporation will post 2.25 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.
Westlake Increases Dividend
The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, September 10th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, August 25th were issued a dividend of $0.5330 per share. This represents a $2.13 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.1%. This is a boost from Westlake’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.53. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, August 25th. Westlake’s dividend payout ratio is presently -22.23%.
Insider Buying and Selling
In other news, Chairman Albert Chao sold 38,873 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 completion of the sale, the chairman directly 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 transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Corporate insiders own 1.40% of the company’s stock.
Hedge Funds Weigh In On Westlake
Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in WLK. Root Financial Partners LLC acquired a new position in Westlake during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $39,000. Nykredit A S acquired a new position in shares of Westlake in the 2nd quarter valued at $69,000. Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. lifted its stake in Westlake by 219.4% in the 4th quarter. Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. now owns 955 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $71,000 after acquiring an additional 656 shares in the last quarter. Transamerica Financial Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Westlake in the second quarter valued at about $80,000. Finally, IFP Advisors Inc grew its holdings in Westlake by 58,450.0% during the second quarter. IFP Advisors Inc now owns 1,171 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $85,000 after purchasing an additional 1,169 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 28.40% of the company’s stock.
Westlake Company Profile
Westlake Corporation is a global manufacturer of performance and essential materials, as well as products used in housing and infrastructure. Headquartered in Houston, Texas, the company serves customers in construction, packaging, healthcare, consumer products, automotive, and other industrial markets.
Westlake’s materials portfolio includes chlor-alkali and derivative chemicals, polyethylene, PVC, vinyl intermediates, epoxy resins, and other specialty products. These materials are used in applications such as water treatment, coatings, adhesives, plastics, medical products, and packaging.
Through its housing and infrastructure businesses, Westlake also produces building products including vinyl siding, trim, roofing products, pipe, fittings, and related components.
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