Westlake (WLK) Unveils New Protective Film for Kleer Products
Westlake Corporation’s WLK subsidiary Westlake Royal Building Products USA, Inc. has announced the addition of clear, protective film to its Kleer Trim and Sheet products in smooth and wood grain surfaces.
This new protective film is intended to keep the products untarnished during storage, handling, shipping, repackaging and installation.
Once the product is set up, the removable film can be simply eliminated. The benefits of this protective film include keeping trim clean while being transported and stored. Further, it guards against dirt and dust, and no residue is left after peeling off.
Shares of WLK have gained 32.8% over the past year compared with a 24.8% rise of its industry.
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The company’s results in the first quarter were hurt by reduced average sales prices, integrated margins in performance materials and lower production and sales volumes, particularly in housing and infrastructure Products.
Sales from the Housing and Infrastructure Products segment fell 18% from the year-ago quarter, affected by reduced operating rates and sales volumes that more than offset lower raw material costs and higher average sales prices in most product categories.
WLK, on its first-quarter call, noted that it is cautiously optimistic about the second quarter, which is typically its strongest of the year. It remains focused on areas within its control, including maintaining cost-focused culture. These include achieving cost synergies from recent acquisitions.
Westlake Corp. Price and Consensus
Westlake Corp. price-consensus-chart | Westlake Corp. Quote
Zacks Rank & Key Picks
Westlake currently carries a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold).
Better-ranked stocks to consider in the basic materials space include Carpenter Technology Corporation CRS, Silvercorp Metals Inc. SVM and Linde plc LIN.
CRS currently carries a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy). The Zacks Consensus Estimate for current-year earnings for CRS is pegged at $1.04, implying year-over-year growth of 6.3%. It has a trailing four-quarter earnings surprise of roughly 198.1%, on average. The stock has gained around 104.6% in a year. You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank stocks here.
Silvercorp Metals currently carries a Zacks Rank #1. The consensus estimate for current fiscal-year earnings for Silvercorp is pegged at 27 cents, suggesting year-over-year growth of 28.6%. The stock has jumped roughly 21% in the past year.
Linde currently carries a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy). The Zacks Consensus Estimate for LIN’s current-year earnings has been revised 3.8% upward in the past 60 days. Linde beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate in each of the last four quarters. It delivered a trailing four-quarter earnings surprise of 6.9% on average. The stock has gained roughly 33.6% in the past year.
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