West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST) Given Consensus Rating of “Buy” by Analysts

West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST) has earned a consensus rating of “Buy” from the fourteen brokerages that are presently covering the company, Marketbeat.com reports. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation, ten have assigned a buy recommendation and two have issued a strong buy recommendation on the company. The average 12 month target price among brokerages that have covered the stock in the last year is $355.5455.

Several research firms have recently issued reports on WST. Wolfe Research initiated coverage on West Pharmaceutical Services in a research note on Monday, June 1st. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $375.00 price objective for the company. Zacks Research upgraded shares of West Pharmaceutical Services from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 13th. Morgan Stanley boosted their target price on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services from $325.00 to $365.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Thursday. Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of West Pharmaceutical Services from a “hold (c-)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a research report on Monday, April 27th. Finally, Citigroup reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in a research note on Friday, April 24th.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CAO Chad Winters sold 896 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, April 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $300.67, for a total transaction of $269,400.32. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer directly owned 1,523 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $457,920.41. This trade represents a 37.04% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, VP Annette F. Favorite sold 2,817 shares of West Pharmaceutical Services stock in a transaction dated Monday, April 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $305.20, for a total value of $859,748.40. Following the transaction, the vice president directly owned 16,828 shares in the company, valued at $5,135,905.60. The trade was 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.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On West Pharmaceutical Services

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Elyxium Wealth LLC acquired a new stake in West Pharmaceutical Services during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Bayban bought a new position in West Pharmaceutical Services during the 4th quarter worth approximately $27,000. Private Trust Co. NA lifted its position in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 156.4% in the 4th quarter. Private Trust Co. NA now owns 100 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $28,000 after purchasing an additional 61 shares during the period. DV Equities LLC bought a new stake in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in the 4th quarter valued at $28,000. Finally, Cornerstone Planning Group LLC boosted its stake in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 90.9% in the 1st quarter. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC now owns 105 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 50 shares during the last quarter. 93.90% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

West Pharmaceutical Services Price Performance

WST stock traded down $3.97 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $353.69. 446,112 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 763,998. West Pharmaceutical Services has a 52 week low of $206.80 and a 52 week high of $367.66. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $328.15 and a 200 day moving average price of $281.89. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.07, a current ratio of 2.71 and a quick ratio of 2.04. The stock has a market capitalization of $24.99 billion, a PE ratio of 47.28, a P/E/G ratio of 2.96 and a beta of 1.16.

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, beating the consensus estimate of $1.68 by $0.45. West Pharmaceutical Services had a return on equity of 19.03% and a net margin of 16.85%.The firm had revenue of $844.90 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $779.67 million. During the same period last year, the company earned $1.45 earnings per share. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 21.0% on a year-over-year basis. 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. As a group, analysts expect that West Pharmaceutical Services will post 8.6 EPS for the current fiscal year.

About West Pharmaceutical Services

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.