Westlake (NYSE:WLK) Upgraded by KeyCorp to Strong-Buy Rating

11 Sep 2026, 06:54 by Scott Moore · The Cerbat Gem

KeyCorp upgraded shares of Westlake (NYSE:WLK – Free Report) to a strong-buy rating in a report published on Thursday,Zacks reports. KeyCorp also issued estimates for Westlake’s Q3 2026 earnings at $1.09 EPS, Q4 2026 earnings at $0.56 EPS, FY2027 earnings at $2.55 EPS and FY2028 earnings at $2.70 EPS.

Several other analysts have also issued reports on the stock. Truist Financial reduced their price target on shares of Westlake from $127.00 to $104.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, July 20th. Wall Street Zen upgraded Westlake from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, August 8th. BMO Capital Markets reiterated a “market perform” rating and issued a $96.00 price target on shares of Westlake in a research note on Monday, July 6th. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price target on Westlake from $110.00 to $89.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, August 5th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised Westlake from an “underweight” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $90.00 price objective on the stock in a research note on Monday, May 18th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, three have given a Buy rating, ten have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $93.92.

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Westlake Trading Down 0.3%

WLK opened at $71.54 on Thursday. Westlake has a twelve month low of $56.33 and a twelve month high of $124.23. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $75.87 and a 200 day simple moving average of $91.39. The company has a quick ratio of 1.70, a current ratio of 2.45 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.55. The stock has a market capitalization of $9.14 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -7.47 and a beta of 0.63.

Westlake (NYSE:WLK – Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, August 4th. The specialty chemicals company reported $2.01 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.83 by $0.18. The firm had revenue of $3.27 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.24 billion. Westlake had a negative net margin of 10.94% and a positive return on equity of 0.93%. The business’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) earnings per share. Analysts predict that Westlake will post 3.35 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Westlake Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, September 10th. Investors of record on Tuesday, August 25th were issued a dividend of $0.533 per share. This is a positive change from Westlake’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.53. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, August 25th. This represents a $2.13 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.0%. Westlake’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is -22.23%.

Insider Transactions at Westlake

In other Westlake news, Chairman Albert Chao sold 38,873 shares of the company’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 completion of the transaction, the chairman owned 642,880 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $51,610,406.40. This represents a 5.70% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. 1.40% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd bought a new stake in Westlake during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $28,000. Quarry LP acquired a new position in shares of Westlake during the fourth quarter worth $31,000. CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC bought a new stake in shares of Westlake in the third quarter worth $53,000. NewEdge Advisors LLC increased its holdings in Westlake by 49.6% in the second quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 745 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock valued at $57,000 after purchasing an additional 247 shares during the period. Finally, Transamerica Financial Advisors LLC raised its position in Westlake by 37.4% during the 4th quarter. Transamerica Financial Advisors LLC now owns 805 shares of the specialty chemicals company’s stock worth $59,000 after purchasing an additional 219 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 28.40% of the company’s stock.

Westlake Company Profile

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Westlake Corporation is a global manufacturer of performance and essential materials headquartered in Houston, Texas. The company produces chemicals, polymers and building products used in construction, infrastructure, packaging, healthcare, consumer goods and other industrial applications.