Westlake Corporation (NYSE: WLK)’s stock price has soared by 0.28 in relation to previous closing price of 128.19. Nevertheless, the company has seen a gain of 0.50% in its stock price over the last five trading days. businesswire.com reported 2024-11-27 that HOUSTON–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Westlake Corporation (NYSE: WLK) today released its 2023 Sustainability Report, the company’s seventh voluntary annual update on sustainability innovations in products and continuous improvement in operations. The report also expands on the Company’s contributions to local communities as well as advancements in employee collaboration and professional development. “We believe great ideas and innovations start with listening. Some of our greatest successes and operationa.
Is It Worth Investing in Westlake Corporation (NYSE: WLK) Right Now?
Westlake Corporation (NYSE: WLK) has a higher price-to-earnings ratio of 180.98x compared to its average ratio, The 36-month beta value for WLK is at 1.16. Analysts have varying views on the stock, with 9 analysts rating it as a “buy,” 3 rating it as “overweight,” 9 as “hold,” and 1 as “sell.”
The public float for WLK is 33.44M, and currently, shorts hold a 3.64% of that float. The average trading volume for WLK on November 28, 2024 was 503.95K shares.
WLK’s Market Performance
The stock of Westlake Corporation (WLK) has seen a 0.50% increase in the past week, with a -2.58% drop in the past month, and a -11.36% fall in the past quarter. The volatility ratio for the week is 1.87%, and the volatility levels for the past 30 days are at 2.26% for WLK. The simple moving average for the past 20 days is -1.25% for WLK’s stock, with a -11.37% simple moving average for the past 200 days.
Analysts’ Opinion of WLK
Many brokerage firms have already submitted their reports for WLK stocks, with BofA Securities repeating the rating for WLK by listing it as a “Neutral.” The predicted price for WLK in the upcoming period, according to BofA Securities is $159 based on the research report published on October 16, 2024 of the current year 2024.
Barclays, on the other hand, stated in their research note that they expect to see WLK reach a price target of $180, previously predicting the price at $162. The rating they have provided for WLK stocks is “Overweight” according to the report published on September 30th, 2024.
RBC Capital Mkts gave a rating of “Outperform” to WLK, setting the target price at $174 in the report published on August 23rd of the current year.
WLK Trading at -6.53% from the 50-Day Moving Average
After a stumble in the market that brought WLK to its low price for the period of the last 52 weeks, the company was unable to rebound, for now settling with -20.96% of loss for the given period.
Volatility was left at 2.26%, however, over the last 30 days, the volatility rate increased by 1.87%, as shares sank -3.53% for the moving average over the last 20 days. Over the last 50 days, in opposition, the stock is trading -10.17% lower at present.
During the last 5 trading sessions, WLK rose by +0.50%, which changed the moving average for the period of 200-days by -8.00% in comparison to the 20-day moving average, which settled at $130.18. In addition, Westlake Corporation saw -8.15% in overturn over a single year, with a tendency to cut further losses.
Insider Trading
Reports are indicating that there were more than several insider trading activities at WLK starting from Chao David Tsung-Hung, who proposed sale 1,750 shares at the price of $133.00 back on Nov 26 ’24. After this action, Chao David Tsung-Hung now owns shares of Westlake Corporation, valued at $232,750 using the latest closing price.
Chao David Tsung-Hung, the Director of Westlake Corporation, sale 1,750 shares at $130.00 during a trade that took place back on Nov 22 ’24, which means that Chao David Tsung-Hung is holding 9,534 shares at $227,500 based on the most recent closing price.
Stock Fundamentals for WLK
Current profitability levels for the company are sitting at:
- 0.06 for the present operating margin
- 0.14 for the gross margin
The net margin for Westlake Corporation stands at 0.01. The total capital return value is set at 0.04. Equity return is now at value 0.90, with 0.45 for asset returns.
Based on Westlake Corporation (WLK), the company’s capital structure generated 0.3 points at debt to capital in total, while cash flow to debt ratio is standing at 0.31. The debt to equity ratio resting at 0.43. The interest coverage ratio of the stock is 4.73.
Currently, EBITDA for the company is 1.96 billion with net debt to EBITDA at 1.67. When we switch over and look at the enterprise to sales, we see a ratio of 1.57. The receivables turnover for the company is 6.91for trailing twelve months and the total asset turnover is 0.57. The liquidity ratio also appears to be rather interesting for investors as it stands at 2.79.
Conclusion
In conclusion, Westlake Corporation (WLK) has had a mixed performance lately. Opinion on the stock among analysts is mixed, with some giving it a “buy” rating and others a “hold”. It’s important to note that the stock is currently trading at a significant distance from its 50-day moving average and its 52-week high.
