What is Zacks Research’s Forecast for WST FY2026 Earnings?

West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST) – Zacks Research lifted their FY2026 earnings estimates for West Pharmaceutical Services in a research report issued on Thursday, May 14th. Zacks Research analyst Team now anticipates that the medical instruments supplier will post earnings of $8.50 per share for the year, up from their previous forecast of $7.85. Zacks Research has a “Strong-Buy” rating on the stock. The consensus estimate for West Pharmaceutical Services’ current full-year earnings is $8.61 per share. Zacks Research also issued estimates for West Pharmaceutical Services’ Q2 2027 earnings at $2.48 EPS and Q4 2027 earnings at $2.47 EPS.

A number of other research analysts have also recently commented on the stock. Barclays boosted their target price on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services from $275.00 to $310.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Monday, April 27th. Weiss Ratings raised shares of West Pharmaceutical Services from a “hold (c-)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a research report on Monday, April 27th. Citigroup reissued a “buy” rating on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in a research report on Friday, April 24th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reissued a “buy” rating and set a $315.00 target price on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in a research report on Friday, February 13th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group reissued a “buy” rating and set a $295.00 target price on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in a research report on Tuesday, February 10th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have given a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, West Pharmaceutical Services currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $322.89.

West Pharmaceutical Services Trading Up 0.5%

NYSE WST opened at $304.31 on Tuesday. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $269.91 and its 200-day simple moving average is $265.43. West Pharmaceutical Services has a 52 week low of $203.74 and a 52 week high of $330.88. The company has a current ratio of 2.71, a quick ratio of 2.04 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.07. The stock has a market cap of $21.50 billion, a P/E ratio of 40.68, a PEG ratio of 2.53 and a beta of 1.17.

West Pharmaceutical Services (NYSE:WST) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, April 23rd. The medical instruments supplier reported $2.13 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.68 by $0.45. West Pharmaceutical Services had a net margin of 16.85% and a return on equity of 19.03%. The business had revenue of $844.90 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $779.68 million. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $1.45 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 21.0% compared to the same quarter last year. West Pharmaceutical Services has set its FY 2026 guidance at 8.400-8.750 EPS and its Q2 2026 guidance at 2.050-2.120 EPS.

Institutional Trading of West Pharmaceutical Services

Several institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in WST. Empowered Funds LLC raised its holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services by 16.1% in the first quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 1,611 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $361,000 after acquiring an additional 224 shares in the last quarter. Intech Investment Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 27.7% during the first quarter. Intech Investment Management LLC now owns 6,020 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $1,348,000 after purchasing an additional 1,307 shares during the period. Acadian Asset Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 14.1% during the first quarter. Acadian Asset Management LLC now owns 1,271 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $284,000 after purchasing an additional 157 shares during the period. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 78.2% during the second quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 449 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $98,000 after purchasing an additional 197 shares during the period. Finally, First Trust Advisors LP raised its holdings in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 168.4% during the second quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 46,332 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $10,137,000 after purchasing an additional 29,067 shares during the period. 93.90% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Buying and Selling at West Pharmaceutical Services

In related news, CAO Chad Winters sold 896 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, April 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $300.67, for a total value of $269,400.32. Following the sale, the chief accounting officer directly owned 1,523 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $457,920.41. This represents a 37.04% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, VP Annette F. Favorite sold 2,817 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, April 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $305.20, for a total transaction of $859,748.40. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president directly owned 16,828 shares in the company, valued at $5,135,905.60. This represents a 14.34% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Corporate insiders own 0.60% of the company’s stock.

West Pharmaceutical Services announced that its Board of Directors has authorized a share buyback program on Tuesday, February 17th that allows the company to buyback $1.00 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization allows the medical instruments supplier to repurchase up to 5.6% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback programs are usually a sign that the company’s board believes its shares are undervalued.

West Pharmaceutical Services Company Profile

West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc is a global developer and manufacturer of components, systems and services that enable the containment and delivery of injectable drugs. The company focuses on high-quality packaging and delivery solutions for the pharmaceutical and biotech industries, producing primary drug packaging components and specialized drug delivery devices used for vaccines, biologics and other injectable therapies. West is known for its elastomeric closures, seals and polymer components that maintain sterility and compatibility with sensitive drug formulations.

In addition to component manufacturing, West provides engineered delivery systems and support services across the product lifecycle.