Westlake Chemical
The 10-second takeaway
For the quarter ended Dec. 31 (Q4), Westlake Chemical beat slightly on revenues and whiffed on earnings per share.
Compared to the prior-year quarter, revenue improved, and GAAP earnings per share dropped significantly.
Margins dropped across the board.
Revenue details
Westlake Chemical booked revenue of $859.2 million. The six analysts polled by S&P Capital IQ anticipated net sales of $843.1 million on the same basis. GAAP reported sales were 8.0% higher than the prior-year quarter's $795.4 million.
Source: S&P Capital IQ. Quarterly periods. Dollar amounts in millions. Non-GAAP figures may vary to maintain comparability with estimates.
EPS details
Non-GAAP EPS came in at $0.40. The seven earnings estimates compiled by S&P Capital IQ averaged $0.62 per share on the same basis. GAAP EPS of $0.39 for Q4 were 69% lower than the prior-year quarter's $1.26 per share.
Source: S&P Capital IQ. Quarterly periods. Non-GAAP figures may vary to maintain comparability with estimates.
Margin details
For the quarter, gross margin was 9%, 1,160 basis points worse than the prior-year quarter. Operating margin was 5.8%, 1,130 basis points worse than the prior-year quarter. Net margin was 3.1%, 750 basis points worse than the prior-year quarter.
Looking ahead
Next quarter's average estimate for revenue is $905.5 million. On the bottom line, the average EPS estimate is $1.21.
Next year's average estimate for revenue is $3.79 billion. The average EPS estimate is $4.63.
Investor sentiment
The stock has a two-star rating (out of five) at Motley Fool CAPS, with 84 members rating the stock outperform and 11 members rating it underperform. Among 23 CAPS All-Star picks (recommendations by the highest-ranked CAPS members), 21 give Westlake Chemical a green thumbs-up, and two give it a red thumbs-down.
Of Wall Street recommendations tracked by S&P Capital IQ, the average opinion on Westlake Chemical is hold, with an average price target of $43.57.
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