Westlake Chemical Partners (NYSE:WLKP) Reaches New 12-Month Low - Time to Sell?
Westlake Chemical Partners (NYSE:WLKP) shares reached a new 52-week low of $21.38, closing at $21.43 with a trading volume of 28,752 shares. Analysts have downgraded the stock from "buy" to "hold". The company reported Q2 earnings of $0.41 per share, missing estimates, and had a revenue of $297.12 million. A quarterly dividend of $0.4714 was recently paid, yielding 8.8%. CEO Jean-Marc Gilson increased his stake by purchasing 1,250 shares. Institutional investors hold 78.28% of the stock.
Westlake Chemical Partners LP (NYSE:WLKP - Get Free Report) shares hit a new 52-week low during trading on Thursday . The company traded as low as $21.38 and last traded at $21.43, with a volume of 28752 shares traded. The stock had previously closed at $21.58.
Analyst Ratings Changes
A number of research analysts have commented on the company. Wall Street Zen cut Westlake Chemical Partners from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Friday, September 5th. Zacks Research upgraded Westlake Chemical Partners to a "hold" rating in a research note on Thursday, August 28th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Hold rating, According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of "Hold".
Get Our Latest Stock Report on WLKP
Westlake Chemical Partners Stock Performance
The company has a quick ratio of 2.10, a current ratio of 2.15 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.48. The company has a 50 day moving average of $22.02 and a 200 day moving average of $22.53. The firm has a market cap of $756.25 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.40, a PEG ratio of 2.72 and a beta of 0.76.
Westlake Chemical Partners (NYSE:WLKP - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, August 5th. The basic materials company reported $0.41 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.44 by ($0.03). The firm had revenue of $297.12 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $301.00 million. Westlake Chemical Partners had a net margin of 4.78% and a return on equity of 6.38%. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Westlake Chemical Partners LP will post 1.55 EPS for the current fiscal year.
Westlake Chemical Partners Announces Dividend
The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, August 27th. Investors of record on Tuesday, August 12th were issued a $0.4714 dividend. This represents a $1.89 annualized dividend and a yield of 8.8%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, August 12th. Westlake Chemical Partners's payout ratio is currently 126.85%.
Insiders Place Their Bets
In other news, CEO Jean-Marc Gilson acquired 1,250 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, August 20th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $21.86 per share, with a total value of $27,325.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the chief executive officer directly owned 10,458 shares in the company, valued at $228,611.88. This represents a 13.58% increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 1.10% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.
Hedge Funds Weigh In On Westlake Chemical Partners
Several institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Osaic Holdings Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Westlake Chemical Partners by 45.8% during the second quarter. Osaic Holdings Inc. now owns 10,153 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $224,000 after purchasing an additional 3,187 shares during the last quarter. Pathway Financial Advisers LLC grew its holdings in shares of Westlake Chemical Partners by 2.4% during the second quarter. Pathway Financial Advisers LLC now owns 105,907 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $2,339,000 after purchasing an additional 2,517 shares during the last quarter. Advisory Services Network LLC grew its holdings in shares of Westlake Chemical Partners by 19.4% during the second quarter. Advisory Services Network LLC now owns 37,000 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $815,000 after purchasing an additional 6,000 shares during the last quarter. Energy Income Partners LLC grew its holdings in shares of Westlake Chemical Partners by 1.4% during the second quarter. Energy Income Partners LLC now owns 1,774,544 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $39,200,000 after purchasing an additional 24,459 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Jane Street Group LLC bought a new position in shares of Westlake Chemical Partners during the second quarter valued at approximately $387,000. 78.28% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.
About Westlake Chemical Partners
(Get Free Report)Westlake Chemical Partners LP acquires, develops, and operates ethylene production facilities and related assets in the United States. The company's ethylene production facilities primarily convert ethane into ethylene. It also sells ethylene co-products, such as propylene, crude butadiene, pyrolysis gasoline, and hydrogen directly to third parties on either a spot or contract basis.
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