<div id="readability-page-1"><p><span>Westlake (NYSE:WLK - Get Free Report)</span> had its target price reduced by analysts at Royal Bank Of Canada  from $145.00 to $130.00 in a note issued to investors on Monday,Benzinga reports. The firm currently has an &#34;outperform&#34; rating on the specialty chemicals company's stock. Royal Bank Of Canada's target price would indicate a potential upside of 32.21% from the stock's previous close.</p><ul><li>Oil Jumps, 2 Plastic Stocks About To Become Value Plays</li></ul><p>Other equities analysts also recently issued research reports about the company. Weiss Ratings  reaffirmed a &#34;sell (d)&#34; rating on shares of Westlake in a research report on Monday, April 20th. Bank of America  restated a &#34;neutral&#34; rating and issued a $119.00 price target on shares of Westlake in a research note on Monday, April 6th. Wall Street Zen cut Westlake from a &#34;hold&#34; rating to a &#34;sell&#34; rating in a research report on Sunday, May 3rd. Truist Financial lifted their target price on Westlake from $117.00 to $127.00 and gave the stock a &#34;buy&#34; rating in a report on Thursday, March 26th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets upgraded shares of Westlake from a &#34;market perform&#34; rating to an &#34;outperform&#34; rating and upped their price target for the company from $108.00 to $127.00 in a research note on Thursday, March 5th. One analyst  has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have given a Buy rating, nine have given a Hold rating and two have issued  a Sell rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of &#34;Hold&#34; and an average price target of $109.73.</p><p><b>Read Our Latest Stock Report on WLK</b></p><h2>Westlake Stock Performance</h2><p>Shares of NYSE:WLK traded up $4.48 on Monday, hitting $98.33. The company had a trading volume of 496,282 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,313,161. The stock has a market cap of $12.60 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -7.75 and a beta of 0.67. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $111.67 and a 200 day moving average price of $89.45. Westlake has a 1-year low of $56.33 and a 1-year high of $124.23. The company has a current ratio of 2.17, a quick ratio of 1.56 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.56. </p><p>Westlake (NYSE:WLK - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, May 5th. The specialty chemicals company reported ($0.77) EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of ($0.10) by ($0.67). The company had revenue of $2.65 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.79 billion. Westlake had a negative return on equity of 1.89% and a negative net margin of 14.91%.The business's quarterly revenue was down 6.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted ($0.31) EPS.  Analysts expect that  Westlake will post 3.73 EPS for the current year. </p><h2>Insider Buying and Selling</h2><p>In related news, CFO Mark Steven Bender sold 17,409 shares of the company'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 completion of the sale, the chief financial officer owned 44,433 shares of the company's stock, valued at $4,484,178.36. This represents a 28.15% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. 1.40% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders. </p><h2>Hedge Funds Weigh In On Westlake</h2><p>Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd bought a new position in  Westlake in the third quarter valued at approximately $28,000.  Quarry LP bought a new stake in shares of  Westlake during the 4th quarter worth $31,000.  Fifth Third Bancorp boosted its stake in  Westlake by 71.3% in the fourth quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 562 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock valued at $42,000 after buying an additional 234 shares in the last quarter.  CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC acquired a new stake in  Westlake in the third quarter valued at about $53,000.  Finally, Hantz Financial Services Inc. grew its position in  Westlake by 180.3% in the third quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. now owns 740 shares of the specialty chemicals company's stock valued at $57,000 after acquiring an additional 476 shares during the last quarter. 28.40% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds. </p><h2>Westlake Company Profile</h2> (Get Free Report)<p>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.  </p><p>Operating a network of vertically integrated plants and distribution centers, Westlake serves markets in North America, Europe and Asia.</p><h2>Featured Stories</h2><ul><li>Five stocks we like better than Westlake</li><li>MercadoLibre Boldly Invests in Growth: Discount Deepens</li><li>AI Dividend Increases: 3 Massive Winners Boosting Payouts</li><li>Manic Monday.com: The Rally Is Just the Beginning for this SaaS Leader</li><li>5 Stocks Positioned to Benefit From the AI Inference Boom</li></ul><p><img src="https://imageproxy.pbkrs.com/https://www.marketbeat.com/scripts/RatingsAndPriceTargetChart.ashx/query-UHJlZml4PU5ZU0UmU3ltYm9sPVdMSw?x-oss-process=image/auto-orient,1/interlace,1/resize,w_1440,h_1440/quality,q_95/format,jpg" width="650" height="330" original-src="https://imageproxy.pbkrs.com/https://www.marketbeat.com/scripts/RatingsAndPriceTargetChart.ashx/query-UHJlZml4PU5ZU0UmU3ltYm9sPVdMSw"/></p><p><em>This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.</em></p><h2>Should You Invest $1,000 in Westlake Right Now?</h2><p>Before you consider Westlake, you'll want to hear this.</p><p>MarketBeat keeps track of Wall Street's top-rated and best performing research analysts and the stocks they recommend to their clients on a daily basis. MarketBeat has identified the five stocks that top analysts are quietly whispering to their clients to buy now before the broader market catches on... and Westlake wasn't on the list.</p><p>While Westlake currently has a Hold rating among analysts, top-rated analysts believe these five stocks are better buys.</p><p>View The Five Stocks Here</p>                  </div>

<p>Royal Bank Of Canada has reduced its price target for Westlake (NYSE:WLK) from $145.00 to $130.00 while maintaining an "outperform" rating. This new target suggests a potential upside of 32.21% from the stock's previous close. Other analysts have varied opinions, with ratings ranging from "Strong Buy" to "Sell." Westlake's stock recently traded at $98.33, with a market cap of $12.60 billion. The company reported a quarterly EPS of ($0.77), missing estimates, and a revenue decline of 6.8% year-over-year.</p>

Market Beat

Westlake

ROYAL BANK OF CANADA

Canadian Imperial Bank Comm

Bank of America

Truist Financial

Bank of Montreal

CAITONG SECURITIES

Fifth Third Bancorp

BANK OF AMERICA CORPORATION DEP SHS REP 1/1000TH INT NON CUM PFD QQ

BANK OF AMERICA CORPORATION DEP SHS REP 1/1200TH PRF SERIES '5'

BANK OF AMERICA CORPORATION 7.25% NON-CUM PERP CONV PFD SER L

BANK OF AMERICA CORPORATION 5.875%NON CUM DEP SHS REP1/1000TH SER HH

BANK OF AMERICA CORPORATION DEP SHS REP 1/1200TH PRF SERIES '2'

BANK OF AMERICA CORPORATION 5% DEP SHS REPR 1/1000TH NON CUM PFD LL

BANK OF AMERICA CORPORATION DEP SHARES REP 1/1000TH PERP PFD SER 'E'

BANK OF AMERICA CORPORATION INCOME CAPITAL OBLIG NTS DUE 15/12/2066

BANK OF AMERICA CORPORATION 4.375% DP SH RP 1/1000TH IN NON CU PF NN

BANK OF AMERICA CORPORATION DEP SH REP 1/1200TH PRF SER 1 USD25

BANK OF AMERICA CORPORATION 5.375%DEP SHS REP 1/1000TH NON CUM SR KK

BANK OF AMERICA CORPORATION 6%NON CUM DEP SHS EACH REP 1/1000 SER GG

BANK OF AMERICA CORPORATION DEP SHS REP 1/1200 PFD SER 4 USD25

BANK OF AMERICA CORPORATION DEP SHS REP 1/1000TH NON CUM PFD SER SS

BANK OF AMERICA CORPORATION 4.125%DEP SH REP 1/1000 PFD SER PP USD25

Bank of America Corp

Fifth Third Bancorp Pref Share FITBO 4.95 Perp 09/30/24 K

FIFTH THIRD BANK PREF SHARE FITB V6.625 P12/31/49 I

Fifth Third Bancorp Pref Shares FITBM 6.875 Perp 10/01/30

Fifth Third Bancorp Depositary Shs B Ser A Repr 1/40 6 % Perp Pfd Registered Shs B Ser A

Westlake (NYSE:WLK) Price Target Cut to $130.00 by Analysts at Royal Bank Of Canada