Sensient Technologies Corp vs Westlake Corporation, two Chemicals stocks. A side-by-side on valuation, growth, margins, returns, and what each price is betting.
Colors and flavors specified into recipes keep Sensient Technologies clearly profitable, 11.83% on equity and an 8.71% net margin, even with a thin 0.43% free-cash yield this year. Westlake makes commodity chemicals and building products, and this cycle it lost money, a negative 18.09% return and a negative 14.91% margin, burning cash at a negative 5.18%. The prices sit worlds apart: Sensient at 35.46 times earnings and 4.21 times book, Westlake with no earnings multiple and 1.08 times book, near liquidation math. Westlake pays a 2.75% dividend against a recovery; Sensient pays 1.36% from ingredient demand that keeps coming.
Comparison updated 2026-07-11.
| Metric | SXT | WLK |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $115.84 | $75.50 |
| Market cap | $4.9B | $9.7B |
| Sector | Chemicals | Chemicals |
| Stage | Mature | Mature |
| Implied growth (priced in) | +16.1% | — |
| P/E | 34.2 | — |
| P/B | 4.06 | 1.07 |
| P/S | 2.99 | 0.88 |
| EV/EBITDA | 20.1 | — |
| Revenue growth | +5.8% | -8.7% |
| Gross margin | — | 4.2% |
| Operating margin | 15.3% | -6.5% |
| Net margin | 8.7% | -14.9% |
| Return on equity | 11.8% | -18.1% |
| Return on assets | 6.3% | -8.3% |
| Return on invested capital | 8.3% | -9.0% |
| FCF yield | 0.4% | -5.3% |
| Dividend yield | 1.4% | 2.8% |
| Debt / equity | 0.63 | 0.67 |
| Current ratio | 5.01 | 2.17 |
| Altman Z (solvency) | 8.44 | 1.87 |
| Piotroski F (quality) | 5 / 9 | 4 / 9 |
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The stronger value is highlighted per metric where one is strictly better on that single number; it is not an overall verdict on either company. For informational and research purposes only. Not investment advice. Not a recommendation to buy, sell, or hold any security. boothcheck is not a registered investment adviser. Past performance does not guarantee future results.