Westlake (NYSE:WLK) Shares Gap Down After Earnings Miss

Posted by Francis Steltz on May 5th, 2026

Westlake Corporation (NYSE:WLK – Get Free Report) gapped down before the market opened on Tuesday after the company announced weaker than expected quarterly earnings. The stock had previously closed at $114.87, but opened at $102.70. Westlake shares last traded at $104.2950, with a volume of 216,790 shares trading hands.

The specialty chemicals company reported ($0.77) EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of ($0.22) by ($0.55). Westlake had a negative return on equity of 1.22% and a negative net margin of 13.50%.During the same quarter last year, the business earned ($0.31) EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was down 6.8% compared to the same quarter last year.

Westlake Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, March 18th. Investors of record on Tuesday, March 3rd were paid a dividend of $0.53 per share. This represents a $2.12 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.0%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, March 3rd. Westlake’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently -18.12%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts have commented on WLK shares. Citigroup lifted their price objective on shares of Westlake from $130.00 to $145.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 8th. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Westlake from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note on Sunday. Mizuho lifted their price objective on shares of Westlake from $97.00 to $110.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Monday, March 23rd. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price objective on shares of Westlake from $110.00 to $125.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Monday, April 6th. Finally, Zacks Research upgraded shares of Westlake from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 26th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have assigned a Buy rating, ten have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Westlake has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $113.20.

Read Our Latest Stock Report on Westlake

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CFO Mark Steven Bender sold 17,409 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $100.92, for a total transaction of $1,756,916.28. Following the sale, the chief financial officer owned 44,433 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,484,178.36. The trade was a 28.15% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Corporate insiders own 1.40% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Westlake

A number of institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. State of Michigan Retirement System boosted its holdings in Westlake by 1.3% during the first quarter. State of Michigan Retirement System now owns 8,000 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $935,000 after buying an additional 100 shares in the last quarter. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Westlake by 2.9% in the fourth quarter. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. now owns 4,108 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $304,000 after purchasing an additional 117 shares in the last quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company lifted its holdings in shares of Westlake by 0.6% in the second quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company now owns 28,134 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $2,136,000 after purchasing an additional 165 shares in the last quarter. Oregon Public Employees Retirement Fund lifted its holdings in shares of Westlake by 3.0% in the first quarter. Oregon Public Employees Retirement Fund now owns 6,868 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $802,000 after purchasing an additional 200 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Transamerica Financial Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Westlake by 37.4% in the fourth quarter. Transamerica Financial Advisors LLC now owns 805 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $59,000 after purchasing an additional 219 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 28.40% of the company’s stock.

Westlake Stock Down 8.0%

The company has a market cap of $13.54 billion, a PE ratio of -9.00 and a beta of 0.67. The company has a quick ratio of 1.65, a current ratio of 2.24 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.55. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $111.45 and its 200-day simple moving average is $88.93.

Westlake Company Profile

(Get 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.