Westlake Chemical Partners (NYSE:WLKP) Posts Earnings Results, Misses Expectations By $0.01 EPS

Westlake Chemical Partners (NYSE:WLKP - Get Free Report) announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday. The basic materials company reported $0.42 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $0.43 by ($0.01), Zacks reports. The business had revenue of $308.90 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $303.00 million. Westlake Chemical Partners had a net margin of 4.78% and a return on equity of 6.38%.

Westlake Chemical Partners Price Performance

NYSE WLKP remained flat at $18.95 during trading on Thursday. 128,223 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 39,245. Westlake Chemical Partners has a 1-year low of $18.11 and a 1-year high of $25.04. The stock has a market cap of $667.80 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.72, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.43 and a beta of 0.73. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.48, a quick ratio of 2.10 and a current ratio of 2.15. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $21.07 and a 200 day simple moving average of $21.95.

Westlake Chemical Partners Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, November 26th. Shareholders of record on Monday, November 10th will be given a dividend of $0.4714 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, November 10th. This represents a $1.89 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 10.0%. Westlake Chemical Partners's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 126.85%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages recently issued reports on WLKP. Zacks Research raised shares of Westlake Chemical Partners to a "hold" rating in a research report on Thursday, August 28th. Wall Street Zen cut shares of Westlake Chemical Partners from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Friday, September 5th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reissued a "hold (c)" rating on shares of Westlake Chemical Partners in a research report on Wednesday, October 8th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating, Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Westlake Chemical Partners has a consensus rating of "Hold".

Get Our Latest Stock Analysis on Westlake Chemical Partners

Insider Activity at Westlake Chemical Partners

In other Westlake Chemical Partners news, CEO Jean-Marc Gilson purchased 4,700 shares of Westlake Chemical Partners stock in a transaction on Friday, August 15th. The stock was bought at an average cost of $21.84 per share, with a total value of $102,648.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 9,208 shares of the company's stock, valued at $201,102.72. This represents a 104.26% increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. 1.10% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Trading of Westlake Chemical Partners

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of WLKP. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. grew its position in shares of Westlake Chemical Partners by 6.0% during the second quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 583,932 shares of the basic materials company's stock worth $12,899,000 after buying an additional 32,863 shares in the last quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. boosted its holdings in Westlake Chemical Partners by 3.8% in the first quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 228,885 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $5,285,000 after purchasing an additional 8,424 shares in the last quarter. Advisory Services Network LLC boosted its holdings in Westlake Chemical Partners by 19.4% in 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 in the last quarter. Jane Street Group LLC acquired a new position in Westlake Chemical Partners in the second quarter valued at approximately $387,000. Finally, Osaic Holdings Inc. boosted its holdings in Westlake Chemical Partners by 45.8% in 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 in the last quarter. 78.28% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About Westlake Chemical Partners

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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