West Pharmaceutical Services (NYSE:WST) Upgraded by Wall Street Zen to “Buy” Rating

West Pharmaceutical Services (NYSE:WST) was upgraded by equities researchers at Wall Street Zen from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report released on Saturday.

WST has been the subject of a number of other reports. Zacks Research lowered West Pharmaceutical Services from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, September 23rd. Rothschild Redb upgraded West Pharmaceutical Services to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Monday, September 15th. Morgan Stanley initiated coverage on West Pharmaceutical Services in a report on Monday, December 1st. They set an “equal weight” rating and a $285.00 price target on the stock. Rothschild & Co Redburn initiated coverage on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in a report on Monday, September 15th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $311.00 price objective for the company. Finally, Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in a research report on Tuesday, October 14th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have issued a Buy rating and four have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, West Pharmaceutical Services presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $342.20.

West Pharmaceutical Services Price Performance

NYSE:WST opened at $272.31 on Friday. West Pharmaceutical Services has a 12 month low of $187.43 and a 12 month high of $348.90. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $274.12 and a two-hundred day moving average of $251.92. The company has a current ratio of 2.87, a quick ratio of 2.18 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.07. The firm has a market cap of $19.59 billion, a P/E ratio of 40.34, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.15 and a beta of 1.17.

West Pharmaceutical Services (NYSE:WST) last released its earnings results on Thursday, October 23rd. The medical instruments supplier reported $1.96 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.67 by $0.29. West Pharmaceutical Services had a return on equity of 18.16% and a net margin of 16.29%.The business had revenue of $804.60 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $788.42 million. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $1.85 earnings per share. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 7.7% compared to the same quarter last year. West Pharmaceutical Services has set its FY 2025 guidance at 7.060-7.110 EPS. On average, analysts expect that West Pharmaceutical Services will post 6.62 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On West Pharmaceutical Services

Several large investors have recently made changes to their positions in WST. CYBER HORNET ETFs LLC purchased a new stake in West Pharmaceutical Services during the 2nd quarter worth about $25,000. Quarry LP acquired a new position in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services during the first quarter worth about $27,000. Vermillion & White Wealth Management Group LLC increased its stake in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 193.9% during the second quarter. Vermillion & White Wealth Management Group LLC now owns 144 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $32,000 after buying an additional 95 shares during the period. SJS Investment Consulting Inc. raised its holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services by 1,842.9% in the third quarter. SJS Investment Consulting Inc. now owns 136 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $36,000 after acquiring an additional 129 shares in the last quarter. Finally, CVA Family Office LLC lifted its stake in West Pharmaceutical Services by 573.3% in the second quarter. CVA Family Office LLC now owns 202 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $44,000 after acquiring an additional 172 shares during the last quarter. 93.90% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.