Insider Selling: West Pharmaceutical Services (NYSE:WST) VP Sells 2,500 Shares

West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST) VP Annette Favorite sold 2,500 shares of West Pharmaceutical Services stock in a transaction dated Friday, September 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $345.00, for a total transaction of $862,500.00. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president owned 21,818 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,527,210. This represents a 10.28% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan.

West Pharmaceutical Services Stock Performance

West Pharmaceutical Services stock traded up $9.16 during midday trading on Tuesday, reaching $364.36. 960,006 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 840,040. West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $223.83 and a fifty-two week high of $386.00. 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 firm has a market cap of $25.64 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 46.65, a PEG ratio of 2.42 and a beta of 1.14. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $348.42 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $311.52.

West Pharmaceutical Services (NYSE:WST) last announced 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. The company had revenue of $872.30 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $839.98 million. West Pharmaceutical Services had a net margin of 16.98% and a return on equity of 20.11%. West Pharmaceutical Services’s revenue was up 13.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $1.84 earnings per share. 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, equities research analysts forecast that West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. will post 8.93 earnings per share for the current year.

West Pharmaceutical Services Announces Dividend

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

Institutional Trading of West Pharmaceutical Services

Several institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Bank of Nova Scotia raised its position in West Pharmaceutical Services by 337.8% in the first quarter. Bank of Nova Scotia now owns 65,323 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $16,373,000 after acquiring an additional 50,402 shares in the last quarter. Hsbc Holdings PLC boosted its position in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 23.3% during the 4th quarter. Hsbc Holdings PLC now owns 146,872 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $40,425,000 after purchasing an additional 27,745 shares in the last quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC boosted its position in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 100.2% during the 1st quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC now owns 209,660 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $52,549,000 after purchasing an additional 104,924 shares in the last quarter. Conestoga Capital Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 6.7% in the 1st quarter. Conestoga Capital Advisors LLC now owns 130,970 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $32,826,000 after purchasing an additional 8,179 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Ilmarinen Mutual Pension Insurance Co acquired a new position in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in the 4th quarter worth approximately $3,027,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 93.90% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts have issued reports on the company. KeyCorp boosted their price target on West Pharmaceutical Services from $350.00 to $390.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, July 2nd. Stephens reissued an “overweight” rating and set a $360.00 price target on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in a report on Tuesday, June 2nd. Zacks Research cut shares of West Pharmaceutical Services from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 12th. Morgan Stanley upped their price objective on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services from $325.00 to $365.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Thursday, July 9th. Finally, TD Cowen reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in a research report on Wednesday, July 15th. Eleven research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, West Pharmaceutical Services currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $379.08.

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.