second quarter 2026
Filed Aug 4, 2026Westlake reported second-quarter net income of $260 million and EBITDA of $679 million, reduced debt by $500 million, and returned $99 million to shareholders via dividends and share repurchases.
Net sales, net income, EBITDA and both segment operating results improved materially from the prior quarter and prior year, led by PEM pricing and margin recovery, higher HIP volume, and the three-pillar profitability improvement plan.
Key metrics
as reported| Metric | Value | q/q | y/y |
|---|---|---|---|
| Net salesGAAP | $3,271 million | – | – |
| Income (loss) from operationsGAAP | $364 million | – | – |
| Net income (loss) attributable to Westlake CorporationGAAP | $260 million | – | – |
| Diluted earnings (loss) per common shareGAAP | $2.01 | – | – |
| Identified Itemsother | $— | – | – |
| Net income (loss) attributable to Westlake Corporation excl. Identified Itemsnon-GAAP | $260 million | – | – |
| Diluted earnings (loss) per common share excl. Identified Itemsnon-GAAP | $2.01 | – | – |
| EBITDAnon-GAAP | $679 million | – | – |
| EBITDA excl. Identified Itemsnon-GAAP | $679 million | $444 million | 100% |
| EBITDA marginnon-GAAP | 21% | – | – |
| Housing and Infrastructure Products income from operationsGAAP | $212 million | $88 million increase | $10 million decrease |
| Housing and Infrastructure Products EBITDAnon-GAAP | $276 million | – | – |
| Housing and Infrastructure Products Identified Itemsother | $— | – | – |
| Housing and Infrastructure Products EBITDA excl. Identified Itemsnon-GAAP | $276 million | – | – |
| Housing and Infrastructure Products EBITDA marginnon-GAAP | 22% | – | – |
| Performance and Essential Materials income (loss) from operationsGAAP | $185 million | – | – |
| Performance and Essential Materials EBITDAnon-GAAP | $416 million | – | – |
| Performance and Essential Materials Identified Itemsother | $— | – | – |
| Performance and Essential Materials EBITDA excl. Identified Itemsnon-GAAP | $416 million | – | – |
| Performance and Essential Materials EBITDA marginnon-GAAP | 21% | – | – |
| Net cash provided by operating activitiesGAAP | $318 million | – | – |
| Capital expendituresother | $207 million | – | – |
| Cash, cash equivalents and fixed-income investmentsGAAP | $1.9 billion | – | – |
| Total debtGAAP | $5.1 billion | – | – |
Segments
| Segment | Revenue | q/q | y/y |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing and Infrastructure ProductsHigher sales volume, particularly for pipe & fittings and siding & trim, and the January 2026 acquisition of ACI. | $1,252 million | – | – |
| Performance and Essential MaterialsHigher average sales prices for polyethylene and PVC resin, margin benefits from the three-pillar profitability improvement plan, and lower North American natural gas costs sequentially. | $2,019 million | – | – |
| Housing ProductsHigher sales volume, particularly for pipe & fittings and siding & trim. | $1.0 billion | – | – |
| Infrastructure ProductsThe January 2026 acquisition of ACI. | $241 million | – | – |
| Performance MaterialsHigher average sales price for polyethylene and PVC resin. | $1.2 billion | – | – |
| Essential MaterialsHigher caustic soda sales volume and a higher average sales price. | $783 million | – | – |
Capital returns
- Returned $99 million to shareholders via dividends and share repurchases.
- Redeemed the remaining approximately $500 million of its outstanding 3.60% 2026 Senior Notes.
What drove it
- Overall sales volume increased 7% from the second quarter of 2025.
- Overall average sales price increased 8% from the second quarter of 2025.
- Housing and Infrastructure Products sales volume increased 6% from the second quarter of 2025, excluding the effect of the ACI acquisition.
- Performance and Essential Materials sales volume increased 7% year-over-year, excluding the effect of plant shutdowns.
- Performance and Essential Materials average sales price increased 14% year-over-year.
- The three-pillar profitability improvement plan is on track to deliver a $600 million operating income benefit.
- PEM results benefited from logistical disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz, footprint optimization, cost reduction, and reliability improvement.
Concerns
- Housing and Infrastructure Products average sales price decreased 3% from the second quarter of 2025.
- Housing and Infrastructure Products EBITDA margin decreased to 22% from 24% in the second quarter of 2025.
- Slower North American residential construction activity and affordability pressures affected HIP end markets.
- Accelerating raw material cost inflation affected HIP.
- The ongoing conflict in the Middle East continues to exacerbate volatility in selling prices and export demand across PEM products, including polyethylene and PVC resin.
What to watch
- Execution of the three-pillar profitability improvement plan and its stated $600 million operating income benefit.
- PEM selling-price and export-demand volatility associated with the conflict in the Middle East.
- Pipe & fittings demand supported by North American infrastructure investments.
- Residential construction activity, affordability pressures, and raw material cost inflation affecting HIP.
- Benefits from the PVC and VCM production site acquisition in Wilhelmshaven, Germany.
Balance sheet and cash flow
- Net cash provided by operating activities was $318 million for the second quarter of 2026.
- Capital expenditures were $207 million.
- Cash, cash equivalents and fixed-income investments were $1.9 billion as of June 30, 2026.
- Total debt was $5.1 billion as of June 30, 2026.
- Replaced its existing revolving credit facility with a new $1.5 billion revolver that expires in 2031.
Analysis
Westlake's second-quarter results showed a broad recovery from both the first quarter and the prior-year period. Net sales were $3,271 million, compared with $2,652 million in the prior quarter and $2,953 million in the prior-year quarter. Income from operations was $364 million, net income attributable to Westlake Corporation was $260 million, and diluted earnings per common share were $2.01, reversing losses reported in both comparison periods. EBITDA excluding Identified Items was $679 million, compared with $235 million in the first quarter of 2026 and $340 million in the second quarter of 2025, while EBITDA margin was 21% versus 9% and 12%, respectively.
PEM was the primary earnings inflection. PEM income from operations was $185 million, compared with losses from operations of $211 million in the prior quarter and $318 million in the prior-year quarter. PEM EBITDA excluding Identified Items reached $416 million and its margin was 21%, compared with $36 million and 2% in the first quarter and $52 million and 3% in the prior-year period. Management attributed the improvement to a 14% increase in average sales price, particularly for polyethylene and PVC resin, benefits from the profitability plan, and lower North American natural gas costs sequentially.
HIP produced improved sequential earnings but had a less favorable year-over-year margin profile. HIP income from operations was $212 million, an $88 million sequential increase, but $10 million below the second quarter of 2025. HIP EBITDA margin was 22%, below 24% a year earlier, as a 3% decline in average sales price and lower margins, particularly for pipe & fittings, offset stronger volume. Management cited seasonally higher sales volume, higher pipe & fittings demand, and the ACI acquisition, while noting slower residential construction activity, affordability pressures, and raw material cost inflation.
Cash generation and capital deployment were also notable. Westlake reported $318 million of net cash provided by operating activities and $207 million of capital expenditures, and stated that it returned to free cash flow generation. The company redeemed the remaining approximately $500 million of its 3.60% 2026 Senior Notes, had $1.9 billion of cash, cash equivalents and fixed-income investments and $5.1 billion of total debt at June 30, 2026, and returned $99 million to shareholders through dividends and share repurchases. No quantitative forward financial guidance was provided in the supplied filing text. The stated outlook focuses on continued PEM benefits from the profitability plan and North American feedstock and energy costs, offset by Middle East-related pricing and export volatility and continued pressure in residential construction.
Management, verbatim
The significant improvement in PEM's second quarter earnings underscores its substantial leverage to improving global supply-demand fundamentals, driven in part by logistical disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz, as well as the meaningful actions that we took last year to improve PEM earnings through footprint optimization, cost reduction, and reliability improvement.
Jean-Marc Gilson, President and Chief Executive Officer
In HIP, slower homebuilding activity due to affordability pressures is being offset by strong demand for pipe and fittings, driven by North American infrastructure investments.
Jean-Marc Gilson, President and Chief Executive Officer
During the second quarter of 2026 we returned to free cash flow generation, reduced debt by $500 million and replaced our existing revolving credit facility, which had a scheduled expiration in 2027, with a new $1.5 billion revolver that expires in 2031.
Jonathan Baksht, Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer
Not in the filing
stated, not guessed- Quantitative forward revenue guidance
- Quantitative forward gross-margin guidance
- Quantitative forward operating-expense guidance
- Quantitative forward tax-rate guidance
- Previous-release outlook for comparison with actual results
- Gross profit and gross margin
- Free cash flow amount
- Dividend amount
- Share repurchase amount
- Shares repurchased
- Tax rate
- Interest expense
- Debt maturity schedule
- Prior-year and prior-quarter operating cash flow
- Prior-year and prior-quarter capital expenditures
AlphAI analysis generated from the company’s SEC earnings filing (Form 8-K Item 2.02, or Form 6-K for a foreign private issuer). Every figure was cross-checked against the filing text; consensus estimates, price targets and share-price reactions are not shown because they are not in the filing. AI-generated research, not investment advice.