WLKP Earnings Miss by 13%

Core Insights - Westlake Chemical Partners reported a strong sequential rebound in key operating and cash metrics for Q2 2025, following a challenging prior quarter due to the Petro 1 turnaround [1][5] - Despite the recovery, the company fell short of market expectations for earnings per limited partner unit and revenue [1][6] - The partnership's reliance on a fixed-margin, take-or-pay contract with Westlake Corporation provides stability but also exposes it to volume risks [4][9] Financial Performance - Q2 2025 earnings per limited partner unit (GAAP) were $0.41, below the $0.47 analyst estimate, while revenue (GAAP) was $297.1 million, missing the $301.0 million consensus [1][2] - MLP distributable cash flow was $15.0 million, down 12.3% year-over-year from $17.1 million in Q2 2024, attributed to higher maintenance capital expenses [2][5] - Cash flows from operating activities plummeted 92.5% year-over-year, from $121.9 million in Q2 2024 to $9.1 million in Q2 2025, primarily due to the Petro 1 turnaround [2][7] Operational Context - The partnership's ethylene production facilities have a nameplate capacity of approximately 3.7 billion pounds per year, with 95% of output sold to Westlake under a long-term agreement [3][9] - The second quarter saw a recovery in net income attributable to the partnership, increasing from $4.9 million in Q1 2025 to $14.6 million in Q2 2025 [5] - Third-party ethylene sales decreased significantly to $28.0 million from $44.6 million in the prior-year period, reflecting the partnership's dependence on Westlake [6][10] Future Outlook - Management anticipates a solid improvement in distributable cash flow and distribution coverage ratio in the second half of 2025 as operations normalize [11] - No further maintenance shutdowns are scheduled for the next eighteen months, with no additional planned turnarounds in 2025 or 2026 [11][12] - The quarterly distribution remains unchanged at $0.4714 per unit, marking the forty-fourth consecutive quarter since the 2014 IPO [8][12]