West Pharmaceutical Services (NYSE:WST) Given New $325.00 Price Target at Morgan Stanley

West Pharmaceutical Services (NYSE:WST) had its target price hoisted by Morgan Stanley from $315.00 to $325.00 in a research note released on Friday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has an equal weight rating on the medical instruments supplier’s stock.

A number of other research analysts have also recently issued reports on the stock. Citigroup reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in a report on Friday, April 24th. Evercore reissued an “outperform” rating on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in a research note on Friday, April 24th. Barclays raised their price objective on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services from $275.00 to $310.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Monday, April 27th. UBS Group reissued a “buy” rating and set a $340.00 price objective on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in a research note on Friday, February 13th. Finally, Zacks Research raised shares of West Pharmaceutical Services from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 13th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have given a Buy rating and three have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $324.00.

West Pharmaceutical Services Trading Up 0.3%

Shares of West Pharmaceutical Services stock opened at $322.81 on Friday. West Pharmaceutical Services has a 12-month low of $206.10 and a 12-month 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 $22.81 billion, a PE ratio of 43.16, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.69 and a beta of 1.17. The company has a 50-day moving average of $283.57 and a two-hundred day moving average of $267.72.

West Pharmaceutical Services (NYSE:WST) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, April 23rd. The medical instruments supplier reported $2.13 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating 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 company had revenue of $844.90 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $779.68 million. During the same period last year, the company posted $1.45 earnings per share. The firm’s quarterly revenue 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. On average, research analysts anticipate that West Pharmaceutical Services will post 8.6 EPS for the current fiscal year.

West Pharmaceutical Services declared that its board has authorized a stock buyback plan 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 reacquire up to 5.6% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback plans are generally a sign that the company’s management believes its stock is undervalued.

Insider Buying and Selling at West Pharmaceutical Services

In related news, VP Annette F. Favorite sold 2,817 shares of West Pharmaceutical Services 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 transaction, the vice president owned 16,828 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,135,905.60. The trade was a 14.34% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CAO Chad Winters sold 896 shares of West Pharmaceutical Services stock in a transaction on Monday, April 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $300.67, for a total transaction of $269,400.32. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer owned 1,523 shares in the company, valued at $457,920.41. The trade was a 37.04% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders own 0.60% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On West Pharmaceutical Services

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in WST. Elyxium Wealth LLC bought a new stake in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in the 4th quarter worth about $25,000. CYBER HORNET ETFs LLC bought a new stake in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in the 2nd quarter worth about $25,000. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC increased its position 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 worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 50 shares during the last quarter. Bayban bought a new stake in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in the 4th quarter worth about $27,000. Finally, Private Trust Co. NA increased 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 last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 93.90% of the company’s stock.

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.