West Pharmaceutical Services (NYSE:WST) Hits New 52-Week High – Still a Buy?

West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST) hit a new 52-week high during mid-day trading on Friday. The company traded as high as $386.26 and last traded at $385.6010, with a volume of 85,463 shares. The stock had previously closed at $383.02.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts have issued reports on the stock. KeyCorp raised their price objective on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services from $350.00 to $390.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, July 2nd. Citigroup raised their price objective on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services from $400.00 to $412.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, August 3rd. TD Cowen lifted their price target on West Pharmaceutical Services from $410.00 to $420.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday. Evercore reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $425.00 price objective on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in a research note on Monday, July 27th. Finally, UBS Group upped their price target on West Pharmaceutical Services from $340.00 to $415.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, September 9th. Twelve analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, West Pharmaceutical Services presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $391.17.

West Pharmaceutical Services Price Performance

The company has a market capitalization of $26.94 billion, a PE ratio of 48.96, a PEG ratio of 2.62 and a beta of 1.13. 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’s 50 day moving average price is $357.40 and its 200-day moving average price is $331.97.

West Pharmaceutical Services (NYSE:WST) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 23rd. The medical instruments supplier reported $2.37 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.08 by $0.29. West Pharmaceutical Services had a net margin of 16.98% and a return on equity of 20.11%. The firm had revenue of $872.30 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $839.98 million. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $1.84 earnings per share. West Pharmaceutical Services’s revenue for the quarter was up 13.8% compared to the same quarter last year. 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. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. will post 8.93 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

West Pharmaceutical Services Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, August 5th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, July 29th were given a dividend of $0.22 per share. This represents a $0.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.2%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, July 29th. West Pharmaceutical Services’s payout ratio is presently 11.27%.

Insider Transactions at West Pharmaceutical Services

In other news, VP Annette Favorite sold 2,524 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, September 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $365.00, for a total value of $921,260.00. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president owned 21,818 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $7,963,570. The trade was a 10.37% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders have sold 15,659 shares of company stock valued at $5,443,749 over the last 90 days. Corporate insiders own 0.60% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On West Pharmaceutical Services

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the business. BlackRock Inc. bought a new position in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services during the second quarter worth about $2,387,990,000. State Street Corp lifted its holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services by 1.7% in the second quarter. State Street Corp now owns 3,348,698 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $1,202,183,000 after purchasing an additional 54,920 shares during the period. Bank of New York Mellon Corp acquired a new position in West Pharmaceutical Services during the 2nd quarter valued at about $733,733,000. Generation Investment Management LLP acquired a new position in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services during the second quarter valued at approximately $728,168,000. Finally, Amundi increased its stake in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 85.4% during the first quarter. Amundi now owns 644,065 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $161,428,000 after acquiring an additional 296,639 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 93.90% of the company’s stock.

West Pharmaceutical Services Company Profile

West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc is a global manufacturer of components and systems used in the packaging and delivery of injectable drugs and other healthcare products. The company serves pharmaceutical, biotechnology and medical device manufacturers.

Its products include elastomer closures, syringe and cartridge components, vial seals, administration systems, drug-delivery components and other specialized packaging solutions. West also provides contract-manufacturing services for certain medical and pharmaceutical products.

Founded in 1923, West Pharmaceutical Services supplies customers through manufacturing and operations in North America, Europe and Asia.