West Pharmaceutical Services (NYSE:WST) VP Annette Favorite Sells 8,135 Shares of Stock

West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST) VP Annette Favorite sold 8,135 shares of West Pharmaceutical Services stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, September 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $340.81, for a total value of $2,772,489.35. Following the sale, the vice president owned 16,845 shares in the company, valued at $5,740,944.45. This represents a 32.57% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink.

West Pharmaceutical Services Price Performance

WST opened at $344.87 on Friday. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $348.87 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $310.03. The company has a current ratio of 2.82, a quick ratio of 2.12 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.07. The company has a market cap of $24.27 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 44.16, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.36 and a beta of 1.14. West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. has a 12-month low of $223.83 and a 12-month high of $386.00.

West Pharmaceutical Services (NYSE:WST) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, July 23rd. The medical instruments supplier reported $2.37 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.08 by $0.29. The firm had revenue of $872.30 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $839.98 million. West Pharmaceutical Services had a net margin of 16.98% and a return on equity of 20.11%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 13.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $1.84 EPS. West Pharmaceutical Services has set its Q3 2026 guidance at 2.140-2.240 EPS and its FY 2026 guidance at 8.850-9.050 EPS. Research analysts predict that West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. will post 8.93 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

West Pharmaceutical Services Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, August 5th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, July 29th were issued a $0.22 dividend. This represents a $0.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.3%. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, July 29th. West Pharmaceutical Services’s dividend payout ratio is 11.27%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On West Pharmaceutical Services

Institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. California State Teachers Retirement System raised its holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services by 36,590.8% in the 2nd quarter. California State Teachers Retirement System now owns 40,592,489 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $14,572,704,000 after acquiring an additional 40,481,855 shares during the last quarter. BlackRock Inc. purchased a new stake in West Pharmaceutical Services during the 2nd quarter valued at $2,387,990,000. Bank of New York Mellon Corp purchased a new stake in West Pharmaceutical Services during the 2nd quarter valued at $733,733,000. Generation Investment Management LLP bought a new stake in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in the 2nd quarter worth $728,168,000. Finally, Norges Bank bought a new stake in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in the 4th quarter worth $272,041,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 93.90% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

WST has been the topic of several recent research reports. Stephens restated an “overweight” rating and issued a $360.00 price target on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in a research note on Tuesday, June 2nd. BNP Paribas Exane began coverage on West Pharmaceutical Services in a research note on Monday, July 13th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $447.00 price objective for the company. Barclays upgraded West Pharmaceutical Services from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and lifted their price objective for the company from $310.00 to $400.00 in a research note on Tuesday, June 9th. Weiss Ratings raised West Pharmaceutical Services from a “hold (c)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a research note on Friday, August 7th. Finally, Zacks Research downgraded West Pharmaceutical Services from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, August 12th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have issued a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, West Pharmaceutical Services has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $373.85.

About West Pharmaceutical Services

West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc (NYSE: WST) develops and manufactures components and systems used to package, contain and deliver injectable medicines and other healthcare products. Its customers include pharmaceutical, biotechnology and medical device companies, which use West products in drug administration and medical applications.

The company’s offerings include elastomer components such as stoppers, plungers and seals; syringe and cartridge components; vial and container closure systems; and specialized delivery systems for injectable and other complex medicines.