10 July 2025 Equity Research Report China Chemicals Equities 2Q25 preview: Argochem up; phosphate leads China Phosphate names lead the way amid sector-wide strength in argochem. We expect argochem companies to deliver solid interim earnings growth, supported by resilient agricultural demand and rising prices. NHU's (002001 CH, RMB21.93, Buy) 1H25 profit guidance (up 50-70%) reflects the overall strength of the sector. Within the sector, we maintain our preference for Chanhen (002895 CH, RMB23.06, Buy) and Y ...

Financial Performance & Strategy - Westlake Chemical Corporation reported Net Sales of $7766 million, EBITDA of $1631 million, and Net Income of $601 million (attributable to WLK) for the Last Twelve Months (LTM) ending in 3Q 2017[5] - The company's EBITDA is split between Olefins (47% or $796 million) and Vinyls (53% or $915 million)[5] - The acquisition of Axiall is expected to enhance margin stability and synergy savings of $120 million are expected in 2017, with a total of $200 million by 2018[8] - Strategic investments and capital projects totaling over $6 billion have been made recently to drive integration and specialty focus[61] Market Position & Advantages - Westlake is a leading integrated plastics materials company, holding the 2 position in North American PVC capacity and 3 globally, as well as the 3 position in North American Chlor-Alkali capacity and 3 globally[8] - The company remains 1 in North American LDPE capacity[8] - Westlake has a short position in ethylene, providing cost advantages, and has NGL feedstock flexibility and infrastructure[12, 15] - Westlake has one of the highest LDPE product mix percentages in North America, with LDPE accounting for 58% and LLDPE accounting for 42% of its capacity[25] Global Presence & Demand - The Axiall acquisition provides Westlake with a global PVC presence, including facilities in North America, Europe, and Asia[37] - Global PVC demand is growing, with a CAGR of 3.1% from 2000-2016 and an expected CAGR of 3.2% from 2017-2021[54] Financial Discipline & Growth - Westlake is committed to maintaining solid investment-grade credit metrics and has been deleveraging since the Axiall acquisition[66] - Westlake Partners (WLKP) provides a lower cost of capital to fund growth, with four levers of distributable cash flow (DCF) growth[70]

Financial Performance - Westlake Chemical Corporation reported Net Sales of $8,041 million for the full year 2017[6] - The company's EBITDA for the full year 2017 was $1,841 million[6] - Net Income attributable to Westlake Chemical for the full year 2017 reached $1,304 million[6] - Olefins contributed $805 million to the EBITDA, representing 42% of the total[6] - Vinyls contributed $1,096 million to the EBITDA, accounting for 58% of the total[6] Strategic Positioning and Growth - Westlake is a leading integrated plastics materials company, holding strong positions in North American and global markets for PVC and Chlor-Alkali[3, 7] - Synergy savings and cost reductions from the Axiall acquisition reached $170 million in 2017, with expectations to achieve a total of $250 million[7] - The company is expanding its global capacity with 750 million lbs of PVC, 200 million lbs of VCM, 60 million lbs of Caustic Soda, and 55 million lbs of Chlorine[13] - Westlake's ethylene plants are fully capable of using ethane and have some NGL flexibility, providing cost advantages[22] Product Mix and Market Focus - Westlake has a unique focus on LDPE, which has a higher margin advantage compared to other PE grades[24, 25] - The company's LDPE capacity represents a significant percentage of its total PE capacity in North America[27] - Westlake/Vinnolit is a leading specialty PVC producer with a global capacity of approximately 4,000 KMT in 2016[46, 47]