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WestlakeWLK -1.70%60 Return-on-Tangible-Equity is -11.01% as of Mar. 2026. GuruFocus rates WLK with a GF Score™ of 60/100 and a GF Value™ of $105.64 (Possible Value Trap). The stock has 4 warning signs investors should review. Among 1,567 Chemicals companies, Westlake ranks worse than 92.41% on this metric.
Return-on-Tangible-Equity is calculated as Net Income divided by its average total shareholder tangible equity. Total shareholder tangible equity equals to Total Stockholders Equity minus Intangible Assets. Westlake's annualized net income for the quarter that ended in Mar. 2026 was $-676 Mil. Westlake's average shareholder tangible equity for the quarter that ended in Mar. 2026 was $6,142 Mil. Therefore, Westlake's annualized Return-on-Tangible-Equity for the quarter that ended in Mar. 2026 was -11.01%.
The historical rank and industry rank for Westlake's Return-on-Tangible-Equity or its related term are showing as below:
WLK'
s Return-on-Tangible-Equity Range Over the Past 10 Years
Min: -24.58 Med: 13.5 Max: 53.5
Current: -24.58
During the past 13 years, Westlake's highest Return-on-Tangible-Equity was 53.50%. The lowest was -24.58%. And the median was 13.50%.
WLK's Return-on-Tangible-Equity is ranked worse than 92.41% of 1567
companies
in the Chemicals industry
Industry Median: 5.82
vs WLK: -24.58
Return-on-Tangible-Equity measures the rate of return on the ownership interest (shareholder's tangible equity) of the common stock owners. It measures a firm's efficiency at generating profits from every unit of shareholders' tangible equity (shareholders equity minus intangibles). Return-on-Tangible-Equity shows how well a company uses investment funds to generate earnings growth. Return-on-Tangible-Equitys between 15% and 20% are considered desirable.
Be Aware
Net Income is used.
Because a company can increase its Return-on-Tangible-Equity by having more financial leverage, it is important to watch the leverage ratio when investing in high Return-on-Tangible-Equity companies. Like Return-on-Tangible-Asset, Return-on-Tangible-Equity is calculated with only 12 months data. Fluctuations in company's earnings or business cycles can affect the ratio drastically. It is important to look at the ratio from a long term perspective.
Asset light businesses require very few assets to generate very high earnings. Their Return-on-Tangible-Equitys can be extremely high.
Westlake Return-on-Tangible-Equity Related Terms
Westlake Return-on-Tangible-Equity Historical Data
* Premium members only.
The historical data trend for Westlake's Return-on-Tangible-Equity can be seen below:
* For Operating Data section: All numbers are indicated by the unit behind each term and all currency related amount are in USD. * For other sections: All numbers are in millions except for per share data, ratio, and percentage. All currency related amount are indicated in the company's associated stock exchange currency.
WLK vs SOLS, ESI, EMN: Return-on-Tangible-Equity Comparison
For the Specialty Chemicals subindustry, Westlake's Return-on-Tangible-Equity, along with its competitors' market caps and Return-on-Tangible-Equity data, can be viewed below:
* Competitive companies are chosen from companies within the same industry, with headquarter located in same country, with closest market capitalization; x-axis shows the market cap, and y-axis shows the term value; the bigger the dot, the larger the market cap. Note that "N/A" values will not show up in the chart.
Westlake Return-on-Tangible-Equity vs Chemicals Industry
For the Chemicals industry and Basic Materials sector, Westlake's Return-on-Tangible-Equity distribution charts can be found below:
* The bar in red indicates where Westlake's Return-on-Tangible-Equity falls into.
* For Operating Data section: All numbers are indicated by the unit behind each term and all currency related amount are in USD. * For other sections: All numbers are in millions except for per share data, ratio, and percentage. All currency related amount are indicated in the company's associated stock exchange currency.
In the calculation of annual Return-on-Tangible-Equity, the net income of the last fiscal year and the average total shareholder tangible equity over the fiscal year are used. In calculating the quarterly data,
the net income data used here is four times the quarterly (Mar. 2026) net income data.
Return-on-Tangible-Equity is displayed in the 10-year financial page.
What does a Return-on-Tangible-Equity of -11.01% mean?
Westlake (WLK) has a Return-on-Tangible-Equity of -11.01% as of Mar. 2026. Return on tangible equity is the ratio of current-period net income to average two-period tangible equity. View historical data on Westlake and its competitors. According to the industry distribution chart, Westlake ranks #1448 out of 1567 companies in the Chemicals industry, placing it in the top 92.4%.
Is Westlake's Return-on-Tangible-Equity too high?
Westlake's current Return-on-Tangible-Equity is -11.01%. Based on the distribution chart, Westlake ranks #1448 out of 1567 companies in the Chemicals industry, which is in the bottom quartile relative to peers. Overall, Westlake has a GF Score™ of 60/100 and is considered Possible Value Trap, reflecting its overall financial health beyond just this single metric.
How does Westlake's Return-on-Tangible-Equity compare to SOLS and ESI?
According to the Chemicals industry distribution chart, Westlake ranks #1448 out of 1567 companies for Return-on-Tangible-Equity. This places Westlake in the lower half of its industry. The industry median Return-on-Tangible-Equity is 5.82. See the competitive comparison table and distribution chart on this page for a detailed peer-by-peer breakdown.
What is a good Return-on-Tangible-Equity for a Chemicals company?
The median Return-on-Tangible-Equity among Chemicals companies is 5.82, based on 1,567 companies in the industry. Companies in the top quartile (top 25%) have a Return-on-Tangible-Equity significantly above this median, while those in the bottom quartile fall well below. However, Return-on-Tangible-Equity should not be evaluated in isolation — investors should consider it alongside profitability, growth, and financial strength metrics. Use the industry distribution chart on this page to see where any company falls relative to its peers.
What does a high Return-on-Tangible-Equity mean?
A high Return-on-Tangible-Equity can signal that a stock is expensive relative to its fundamentals. Return on tangible equity is the ratio of current-period net income to average two-period tangible equity. View historical data on Westlake and its competitors. For the Chemicals industry, the median Return-on-Tangible-Equity is 5.82 — values significantly above this may indicate overvaluation, while values below may suggest a bargain or underlying issues. Westlake's current Return-on-Tangible-Equity is -11.01%. However, context matters — high-growth companies often justify higher valuations. Always evaluate alongside other metrics like GF Score™ and GF Value™.
Is Westlake stock overvalued right now?
Based on GuruFocus' analysis, Westlake (WLK) is currently considered Possible Value Trap. The stock's GF Value™ is $105.64, compared to a current price of $70.50 — trading 33.3% below its estimated fair value. The current Return-on-Tangible-Equity is -11.01%. Westlake's overall GF Score™ is 60/100 with 4 warning signs to review. Investors should evaluate multiple metrics — including profitability, growth, and financial strength — before making a decision.
How is Return-on-Tangible-Equity calculated?
Return-on-Tangible-Equity is calculated from a company's financial statements. For Westlake (WLK), the current Return-on-Tangible-Equity is -11.01% as of Mar. 2026. GuruFocus calculates this using data sourced from SEC filings and annual reports. See the calculation section and 30-year financial data on this page for the full breakdown.
Is Westlake (WLK) Overvalued in 2026?
Based on GuruFocus' analysis, Westlake stock appears to be undervalued.
The current stock price of $70.50 is trading 33.3% below its estimated GF Value™ of $105.64.
GuruFocus considers Westlake to be Possible Value Trap.
Key valuation signals for WLK:
Return-on-Tangible-Equity: -11.01%
GF Value™: $105.64 vs. price of $70.50 (33.3% below fair value)
No single metric tells the full story. See the WLK stock analysis page for a complete view including 30-year financials, guru trades, and insider activity.
Westlake is a forward-integrated commodity chemicals firm based in Houston. It began as a single low-density polyethylene plant and expanded its capabilities to include ethylene, vinyl chloride monomers, and polyvinyl chloride over the next two decades. The acquisition of Axiall in 2016 made it a North American leader in chlor-alkali and PVC. Today, Westlake has two defined segments: performance and essential materials, and housing and infrastructure products. The HIP segment began operating in 2022 following a series of acquisitions in the building products space. The firm aims to maximize the value of its chemical production by integrating with the HIP segment, realizing the higher margins of finished commercial goods.
60GF Score
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