Westlake to Acquire ACI's Compounding Solutions Business

Westlake Corporation WLK announced that it will acquire the global compounding solutions businesses of the ACI/Perplastic Group (“ACI”). Portugal-based ACI is a leading manufacturer of specialty materials used in the wire and cable industries. This acquisition, expected to be completed in early 2026, will help Westlake expand the variety of its offerings and strengthen global footprint.

Westlake’s existing compounding business, combined with ACI’s business, is a strong strategic fit as it can be well-integrated with the Housing & Infrastructure Products business. ACI, being well-known for its innovative, high-quality materials, will complement Westlake Global Compounds by enabling expansion into newer specialty products and technology.

ACI is headquartered in Guarda, Portugal, operating four production facilities, located in Mexico, Portugal, Romania and Tunisia. It is involved in manufacturing polyvinyl chloride, polyolefin, silicone and thermoplastic rubber compounds while generating net sales of approximately EUR 210 million for the year ended Dec. 31, 2024.

Westlake Corp. Price, Consensus and EPS Surprise

Westlake Corp. price-consensus-eps-surprise-chart | Westlake Corp. Quote

WLK’s Zacks Rank & Key Picks

WLK currently carries a Zacks Rank #4 (Sell).

Some better-ranked stocks in the Basic Materials space are Agnico Eagle MinesLimited AEM, The Mosaic Company MOS and Carpenter Technology Corporation CRS. While AEM and MOS currently sport a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy) each, CRS carries a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy). You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank stocks here.

The Zacks Consensus Estimate for AEM’s current-year earnings is pegged at $6.86 per share, implying a 62.17% year-over-year surge. Its earnings beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate in each of the trailing four quarters, with an average surprise of 10.03%. AEM’s shares have gained 74.9% in the past year.

The Zacks Consensus Estimate for MOS’ 2025 earnings is pegged at $3.17 per share, indicating a rise of 60.10% from year-ago levels. The company’s earnings beat the consensus estimate in one of the trailing four quarters, while missing it in the rest. Its shares have soared 19.8% in the past year.

The Zacks Consensus Estimate for CRS’ current fiscal-year earnings is pegged at $9.36 per share, indicating a 25.13% year-over-year increase.Its earnings beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate in each of the trailing four quarters, with an average surprise of 8.38%. CRS’shares have gained 72.2% in the past year.

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This article originally published on Zacks Investment Research (zacks.com).

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