Fact based stock research
Westlake Chemical (NYSE:WLK)

US9604131022

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For every stock, we judge its performance against its peers and rank it on a scale of 1 to 100. The higher the rank, the better the stock performs than its peers. And, we do this for six investment strategies:
Value - shows how good of a value the stock is. Green is "inexpensive"; red is "expensive".

Growth - shows a company's growth potential. Green is "high growth" expected; red is "tough times ahead".

Safety - relates to the amount of debt a company has. Green is low debt level; red is high debt level.

Combined Financial - this isn't an average of the first three ranks but rather a consolidated view across several financial indicators. Green = good; red = tread carefully.

(NEW) Sentiment - quantifies professional analyst ratings and holdings as well as market pulse. Green = positive sentiment; red = skepticism (Only available to Premium Subscribers).

(NEW) 360° View - the ultimate rating with all financial and non-financial indicators.

Westlake Chemical stock research in summary

westlake.com

ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Combined Rank of 89 (better than 89% compared with investment alternatives), Westlake Chemical (Commodity Chemicals, USA) shares have much better financial characteristics than comparable stocks. Shares of Westlake Chemical are a good value (attractively priced) with a consolidated Value Rank of 75 (better than 75% of alternatives), are safely financed (Safety Rank of 96, which means low debt burdens), but show below-average growth (Growth Rank of 29). ...read more

RECOMMENDATION: A Combined Rank of 89, is a strong buy recommendation based on Westlake Chemical's financial characteristics. As the company Westlake Chemical's key financial metrics exhibit good value (Obermatt Value Rank of 75) but low growth (Obermatt Growth Rank of 29) while being safely financed (Obermatt Safety Rank of 96), it may be a safer investment because companies with low debt can better withstand times of crises. Yet the good value, better than 75% of comparable companies, may also indicate that the company's future is challenging. If you believe that low growth is temporary or just due to a specific current event, you may conclude that the good value of the stock provides an attractive investment opportunity and the downside is limited due to below-average financing risks. Obermatt Premium subscribers can further check the stock’s Sentiment Ranks, which also flow into the Obermatt 360° View for investors. ...read more

Latest Obermatt Ranks


360° View^new
Sentiment Rank^new
Value Rank	75
Growth Rank	29
Safety Rank	96
Combined Rank	89

Country	USA
Industry	Commodity Chemicals
Index
Size class	XX-Large

19-Dec-2024. Stock data may be delayed. Log in or sign up to get the most recent research.

Further information

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Review the performance ranks of the individual metrics that form each investment strategy.

Research History: Westlake Chemical

RESEARCH HISTORY	2021	2022	2023	2024
VALUE
VALUE	80	79	58	75
GROWTH
GROWTH	76	73	45	29
SAFETY
SAFETY	60	77	89	96
SENTIMENT
SENTIMENT	n/a	49	32	^new
360° VIEW
360° VIEW	n/a	87	72	^new

Most recent update of the stock research: 19-Dec-2024. Financial reporting date used for calculating ranks: 30-Sep-2024. Stock research history is based on the Obermatt Method. The higher the rank, the better Westlake Chemical is in the corresponding investment strategy.
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Combined financial peformance in Detail

RESEARCH HISTORY	2021	2022	2023	2024
VALUE
VALUE	80	79	58	75
GROWTH
GROWTH	76	73	45	29
SAFETY
SAFETY	60	77	89	96
COMBINED
COMBINED	87	89	84	89

Last update of combined financial performance: 19-Dec-2024. Stock analysis on combined financial performance: The higher the rank of Westlake Chemical the better the performance.

Value Metrics in Detail

ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Value Rank of 75 (better than 75% compared with alternatives) for 2024, Westlake Chemical shares are significantly less expensive than comparable stocks. The Value Rank is based on consolidating four value indicators that are all above average for Westlake Chemical. Price-to-Sales is 62 which means that the stock price compared with what market professionals expect for future sales is lower than for 62% of comparable companies, indicating a good value for Westlake Chemical's revenue size. The same is valid for expected Price-to-Profits, more favorable than for 63% of alternatives, and this is also true for the Price-to-Book capital ratio (also referred to as market-to-book ratio) with a Price-to-Capital Rank of 80. Compared with other companies in the same industry, dividend yields of Westlake Chemical are expected to be higher than for 64% of all competitors (a Dividend Yield rank of 64). ...read more

RECOMMENDATION: The overall picture with a consolidated Value Rank of 75, is a buy recommendation based on Westlake Chemical's stock price compared with the company's operational size and dividend yields. Since all value metrics are above the industry average, there is no objection to investing in Westlake Chemical based on its detailed value metrics. We recommend further analyzing the stock with Obermatt’s Value, Safety, and Sentiment Ranks, including the 360° View, before making an investment decision. ...read more

VALUE METRICS	2021	2022	2023	2024
PRICE VS. REVENUES (P/S)
PRICE VS. REVENUES (P/S)	70	67	48	62
PRICE VS. PROFITS (P/E)
PRICE VS. PROFITS (P/E)	81	84	47	63
PRICE VS. CAPITAL (Market-to-Book)
PRICE VS. CAPITAL (Market-to-Book)	72	82	83	80
DIVIDEND YIELD
DIVIDEND YIELD	64	37	43	64
CONSOLIDATED RANK: VALUE
CONSOLIDATED RANK: VALUE	80	79	58	75

Last update of Value Rank: 19-Dec-2024. Stock analysis on value ratios: The higher the rank, the lower the value ratio of Westlake Chemical; except for dividend yield where the rank is higher, the higher the yield.

Growth Metrics in Detail

ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Growth Rank of 29 (better than 29% compared with alternatives), Westlake Chemical shows a below-average growth dynamic in its industry. There is limited momentum in this company. The Growth Rank is based on consolidating four value indicators, with half of the indicators below and half above average for Westlake Chemical. Sales Growth has a rank of 57 which means that currently, professionals expect the company to grow more than 57% of its competitors. Capital Growth is also above 18% of competitors with a rank of 51. But Profit Growth only has a rank of 18, which means that currently professionals expect the company to grow its profits less than 82% of its competitors. And Stock Returns have also been below average with a rank of only 35. ...read more

RECOMMENDATION: The overall picture with a consolidated Growth Rank of 29, is a hold recommendation for growth and momentum investors. Profits are sometimes low if the company invests in the future. The positive revenue and capital investment outlook confirms such an interpretation. Both revenues and capital are solid growth indicators, and lower profits in such a case would be encouraging. But the investors see it differently by punishing the share price. Sometimes, Mister Market is not very reliable, because it is not uncommon for it to be volatile. Investors should look out for signs of growth expenditure that could justify low profit growth, and they may also find reasons why recent stock price developments don't confirm the growth outlook of operations. While operating growth indicators are not perfect, they are more reliable indicators for future performance than stock prices that can repeatedly surprise investors. While momentum is a popular investment factor, the value aspect might be the more important one, in the longer term. We recommend analyzing the stock with Obermatt’s Value, Safety, and Sentiment Ranks to arrive at a 360° View of the stock purchase case, especially since the growth performance is mixed here. ...read more

GROWTH METRICS	2021	2022	2023	2024
REVENUE GROWTH
REVENUE GROWTH	70	72	16	57
PROFIT GROWTH
PROFIT GROWTH	59	98	27	18
CAPITAL GROWTH
CAPITAL GROWTH	n/a	18	55	51
STOCK RETURNS
STOCK RETURNS	46	63	91	35
CONSOLIDATED RANK: GROWTH
CONSOLIDATED RANK: GROWTH	76	73	45	29

Last update of Growth Rank: 19-Dec-2024. Stock analysis on growth metrics: The higher the rank, the higher the growth and returns of Westlake Chemical.

Safety Metrics in Detail

ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Safety Rank of 96 (better than 96% compared with alternatives) for 2024, the company Westlake Chemical has safe financing practices, which means that their overall debt burden is low. This doesn't mean that the business of Westlake Chemical is safe, it only means that the company is on the safer side regarding possible bankruptcy, assuming that public reporting is correct. The Safety Rank is based on consolidating three financing indicators, where all three are above average for Westlake Chemical. Leverage is at 64, meaning the company has a below-average debt-to-equity ratio. It has less debt than 64% of its competitors. Refinancing is at a rank of 81, meaning that the portion of the debt about to be refinanced is below average. It has less debt in the refinancing stage than 81% of its competitors. Finally, Liquidity is also good at a rank of 78, which means that the company generates more profit to service its debt than 78% of its competitors. ...read more

RECOMMENDATION: With a consolidated Safety Rank of 96 (better than 96% compared with alternatives), Westlake Chemical has a financing structure that is significantly safer than that of its competitors. These three positive financing indicators signal that the company is less likely to default on its debt obligations. However, it also means that its shareholder returns will be more modest if things go well. A low safety means fewer troubles in downtimes and less upside in good times. Investors may not have a debt issue with Westlake Chemical but they should also compare Obermatt’s Value, Growth, and Sentiment Ranks before making a decision. ...read more

SAFETY METRICS	2021	2022	2023	2024
LEVERAGE
LEVERAGE	30	76	70	64
REFINANCING
REFINANCING	68	77	75	81
LIQUIDITY
LIQUIDITY	57	37	82	78
CONSOLIDATED RANK: SAFETY
CONSOLIDATED RANK: SAFETY	60	77	89	96

Last update of Safety Rank: 19-Dec-2024. Stock analysis on safety metrics: The higher the rank, the lower the leverage of Westlake Chemical and the more cash is available to service its debt.

Sentiment Metrics in Detail

SENTIMENT	2021	2022	2023	2024
ANALYST OPINIONS
ANALYST OPINIONS	n/a	22	3	^new
OPINIONS CHANGE
OPINIONS CHANGE	n/a	45	45	^new
PRO HOLDINGS
PRO HOLDINGS	n/a	69	41	^new
MARKET PULSE
MARKET PULSE	n/a	46	79	^new
CONSOLIDATED RANK: SENTIMENT
CONSOLIDATED RANK: SENTIMENT	n/a	49	32	^new

Last update of Sentiment Rank: 19-Dec-2024. Stock analysis on sentiment metrics: The higher the rank, the more positive the sentiment for Westlake Chemical.
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