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

West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST) has received a consensus rating of “Buy” from the fourteen brokerages that are covering the company, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, ten have issued a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating on the company. The average 1-year target price among analysts that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $340.0909.

Several analysts have issued reports on the company. Barclays upgraded West Pharmaceutical Services from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and upped their price objective for the company from $310.00 to $400.00 in a research note on Tuesday, June 9th. Zacks Research upgraded West Pharmaceutical Services from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 13th. Morgan Stanley boosted their target price on West Pharmaceutical Services from $315.00 to $325.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Friday, May 29th. Stephens reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and set a $360.00 price target on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in a report on Tuesday, June 2nd. Finally, Weiss Ratings raised shares of West Pharmaceutical Services from a “hold (c-)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a research report on Monday, April 27th.

West Pharmaceutical Services Stock Performance

Shares of WST opened at $330.89 on Tuesday. The company has a market cap of $23.38 billion, a PE ratio of 44.24, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.75 and a beta of 1.18. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $300.48 and a 200-day moving average of $271.97. West Pharmaceutical Services has a one year low of $206.80 and a one year high of $336.82. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.07, a current ratio of 2.71 and a quick ratio of 2.04.

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 for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $779.68 million. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $1.45 EPS. West Pharmaceutical Services’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. As a group, equities analysts forecast that West Pharmaceutical Services will post 8.6 earnings per share for the current year.

West Pharmaceutical Services declared that its Board of Directors has authorized a stock buyback plan on Tuesday, February 17th that authorizes the company to repurchase $1.00 billion in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization authorizes the medical instruments supplier to purchase up to 5.6% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase plans are usually a sign that the company’s board of directors believes its shares are undervalued.

Insider Transactions at West Pharmaceutical Services

In related news, VP Annette F. Favorite sold 2,817 shares of West Pharmaceutical Services stock in a transaction dated Monday, April 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $305.20, for a total transaction of $859,748.40. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president owned 16,828 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,135,905.60. The trade was a 14.34% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CAO Chad Winters sold 896 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, April 27th. The shares were 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 owned 1,523 shares in the company, valued at approximately $457,920.41. This trade represents a 37.04% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Company insiders own 0.60% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On West Pharmaceutical Services

A number of large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in West Pharmaceutical Services during the 4th quarter worth approximately $272,041,000. Generation Investment Management LLP grew its holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services by 60.0% in the 4th quarter. Generation Investment Management LLP now owns 1,561,869 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $429,733,000 after buying an additional 585,855 shares in the last quarter. Artisan Partners Limited Partnership increased its position in West Pharmaceutical Services by 22.2% during the 3rd quarter. Artisan Partners Limited Partnership now owns 2,770,920 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $726,895,000 after buying an additional 503,601 shares during the period. T. Rowe Price Investment Management Inc. increased its position in West Pharmaceutical Services by 67.5% during the 4th quarter. T. Rowe Price Investment Management Inc. now owns 1,174,962 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $323,280,000 after buying an additional 473,547 shares during the period. Finally, Steadfast Capital Management LP acquired a new stake in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services during the third quarter worth $123,667,000. Institutional investors 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.