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Westlake Corp.: Q4 FY2025 earnings call

What management said about Q4 FY2025, from the documents filed with the SEC on 24 February 2026: press release. Guidance figures: 1 new. The quarter’s numbers.

Key takeaways

  • Q4 loss and EBITDA excluding items: Excluding identified items, the fourth-quarter net loss was $33 million, or $0.25 per share, and EBITDA was $196 million on net sales of $2.5 billion. Source
  • Full-year results excluding identified items: For 2025, excluding identified items, net sales were $11.2 billion, with a net loss of $116 million, or $0.90 per share, and EBITDA of $1.1 billion. Source
  • PEM quarterly loss on prices and volume: PEM loss from operations excluding identified items was $222 million, against a $41 million loss a year earlier, on lower selling prices and lower sales volume. Source
  • PEM sales down 12% on prices, volume: PEM net sales fell 12% in the quarter, with volume down 7% and average sales price down 5%. Source
  • Year-end cash $2.9 billion, debt $5.6 billion: At December 31, 2025, cash and fixed-income investments were $2.9 billion and total debt was $5.6 billion. Source
  • 2026 priority is the PEM plan: Management said its 2026 priority is delivering the PEM plan's targeted EBITDA improvement while growing HIP sales and earnings. Source
  • Management confident in PEM plan: Management said it is very confident the PEM plan will improve 2026 earnings and that Westlake is well positioned for an eventual demand recovery. Source

“As 2025 came to a close, our PEM profitability improvement plan began to generate tangible benefits with accelerating realization of our cost savings initiatives and significant strategic action to optimize our North American footprint.”

Jean-Marc Gilson, President and Chief Executive Officer

Guidance

AreaPeriodFigureAgainst last quarter
PEM EBITDA improvement Source2026$600 millionNew

What changed from last quarter

  • New: Westlake acquired ACI in January 2026, and management expects HIP sales and earnings to benefit from it. Source
  • Ended: Three North American chlorovinyl plants and one styrene plant were shut down in the fourth quarter of 2025. Source

Fourth quarter and full year results

  • Q4 loss and EBITDA excluding items: Excluding identified items, the fourth-quarter net loss was $33 million, or $0.25 per share, and EBITDA was $196 million on net sales of $2.5 billion. Source
  • Full-year results excluding identified items: For 2025, excluding identified items, net sales were $11.2 billion, with a net loss of $116 million, or $0.90 per share, and EBITDA of $1.1 billion. Source
  • Reported loss includes identified items: Reported fourth-quarter net loss was $544 million, or $4.22 per share, with identified items of $511 million. Source
  • Sales fell on volume and price: Net sales fell 11% year over year, with volume down 7% and average sales price down 4%. Source
  • Feedstock, energy and prices hit full year: Management cited lower average sales price, particularly in PEM, lower volume and higher feedstock and energy costs for the 2025 decline. Source

Housing and Infrastructure Products segment

  • HIP quarterly income down $47 million: HIP income from operations excluding identified items was $82 million, down $47 million; management attributed the decline to lower volume, particularly global compounds, and lower margins. Source
  • HIP sales fell on volume: HIP net sales fell 8% in the quarter, all from volume, with average sales price unchanged. Source
  • HIP full-year income down $204 million: Full-year HIP income from operations excluding identified items was $603 million, down $204 million, on lower volume in global compounds and lower pipe and fittings prices. Source
  • Infrastructure prices and compounds volume lower: Infrastructure Products net sales were $635 million, down from $673 million, on lower pipe and fitting prices and lower global compounds volume. Source

“However, we are very confident in the ability of our PEM profitability improvement plan to improve earnings in 2026 and we remain well positioned to capitalize on an eventual recovery in global demand,”

Jean-Marc Gilson, President and Chief Executive Officer

Performance and Essential Materials segment

  • PEM quarterly loss on prices and volume: PEM loss from operations excluding identified items was $222 million, against a $41 million loss a year earlier, on lower selling prices and lower sales volume. Source
  • PEM sales down 12% on prices, volume: PEM net sales fell 12% in the quarter, with volume down 7% and average sales price down 5%. Source
  • PEM sequential loss widened: PEM loss from operations increased $64 million from the third quarter, mainly on lower average sales price for polyethylene, chlorine and PVC resin. Source
  • Performance Materials sales down $0.6 billion: Performance Materials full-year net sales were $4.0 billion, down $0.6 billion, on lower volume and price for polyethylene and PVC resin, and lower epoxy resin volume. Source
  • Essential Materials chlorine and caustic lower: Essential Materials full-year net sales were $3.0 billion, down $0.2 billion, on lower chlorine volume and price and lower caustic soda volume. Source

Plant shutdowns and identified items

  • Plant shutdowns drove large accrued charges: Four North American plants were shut down in Q4 2025; PEM accrued $386 million, mainly non-cash charges, and recorded a $7 million inventory write-off. Source
  • Pernis epoxy shutdown accrual: A further $102 million of expenses was accrued for the previously announced Pernis, Netherlands epoxy site shutdown. Source
  • Identified items totaled $511 million: Q4 identified items totaled $511 million: $495 million of PEM shutdown expenses and $16 million of HIP restructuring expenses. Source
  • Chlorovinyls goodwill fully written off: Full-year identified items include a $727 million write-off of all goodwill for the North American Chlorovinyls reporting unit. Source
  • Turnarounds and outages weighed on 2025: Management said planned turnarounds and unplanned outages had a more significant impact on results in 2025. Source

Cash, debt and shareholder payments

  • Q4 operating cash flow and capex: Operating cash flow was $225 million in the fourth quarter and capital expenditures were $241 million. Source
  • Free cash flow negative in Q4 and 2025: Free cash flow was negative $16 million in the fourth quarter and negative $530 million for 2025, per the reconciliation. Source
  • Year-end cash $2.9 billion, debt $5.6 billion: At December 31, 2025, cash and fixed-income investments were $2.9 billion and total debt was $5.6 billion. Source
  • Dividends, buybacks and notes issuance: For 2025 dividends paid were $272 million, treasury stock repurchases $63 million, and net senior notes proceeds $1.187 billion. Source

2026 plan and ACI acquisition

  • 2026 priority is the PEM plan: Management said its 2026 priority is delivering the PEM plan's targeted EBITDA improvement while growing HIP sales and earnings. Source
  • HIP growth tied to ACI acquisition: HIP sales and earnings are expected to benefit in 2026 from the January 2026 acquisition of ACI. Source
  • Management confident in PEM plan: Management said it is very confident the PEM plan will improve 2026 earnings and that Westlake is well positioned for an eventual demand recovery. Source

Demand and housing backdrop

  • Housing starts and weather weighed on HIP: Management tied HIP's fourth-quarter EBITDA, in line with expectations, to slower housing starts and seasonal weather impacts. Source
  • Macro conditions not expected to help 2026: Management does not expect macroeconomic conditions to help its 2026 goals, given challenging global industrial and manufacturing activity. Source
  • Sequential HIP decline on seasonality: HIP income fell $69 million from the third quarter, which management attributed to lower volume from the typical seasonality of customer demand. Source

Coming up, as management said on 24 February 2026

  • Q4 2025 results call: Management scheduled the call on fourth-quarter and full-year 2025 results for Tuesday, February 24, 2026 at 11:00 AM Eastern Time. Source

Figures management reported

FigureReported
HIP sales volume, Q4 2025 vs Q4 2024 Source-8%
PEM sales volume, Q4 2025 vs Q4 2024 Source-7%
Company sales volume, Q4 2025 vs Q4 2024 Source-7%
Company average sales price, Q4 2025 vs Q4 2024 Source-4%

Risks management discussed

  • Demand: Management cites challenging global industrial and manufacturing activity and does not expect macro conditions to help 2026 goals. Source
  • Demand: Slower housing starts and seasonal weather weighed on HIP fourth-quarter EBITDA. Source
  • Operational: Higher feedstock and energy costs, plus planned turnarounds and unplanned outages, weighed on 2025 results. Source
  • External: Lower selling prices for most major products, particularly chlorine and polyethylene, reduced PEM results. Source

Earlier plans management reported on

  • Ahead: Management said PEM's fourth-quarter EBITDA exceeded its expectations. Source
  • Met: Management said HIP's fourth-quarter EBITDA was in line with its expectations. Source
  • Not stated: Management said the PEM plan began to generate tangible benefits by the end of 2025. Source

Other quarters

Summarised with AI from the documents the company filed with the SEC. Every point is checked against the filing before it is shown: management’s own words word for word, figures against the line or table row they come from. A point that fails the check is left out. Source opens the filing at that line.