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

Shares of West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST) have been assigned a consensus rating of “Buy” from the thirteen research firms that are currently covering the firm, Marketbeat.com reports. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation, seven have issued a buy recommendation and three have assigned a strong buy recommendation to the company. The average twelve-month target price among brokerages that have covered the stock in the last year is $314.5556.

A number of analysts have weighed in on the stock. Wall Street Zen raised West Pharmaceutical Services from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Saturday, December 20th. Jefferies Financial Group restated a “buy” rating and set a $295.00 price target on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in a research report on Tuesday, February 10th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $315.00 price objective on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in a research report on Friday, February 13th. Morgan Stanley began coverage on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in a research note on Monday, December 1st. They set an “equal weight” rating and a $285.00 target price for the company. Finally, Barclays dropped their price target on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services from $325.00 to $265.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, February 13th.

West Pharmaceutical Services Stock Performance

West Pharmaceutical Services stock opened at $235.66 on Friday. West Pharmaceutical Services has a one year low of $187.43 and a one year high of $322.34. The firm has a market capitalization of $16.97 billion, a PE ratio of 34.71, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.50 and a beta of 1.17. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.06, a quick ratio of 2.34 and a current ratio of 3.02. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $249.85 and its 200 day moving average price is $261.85.

West Pharmaceutical Services (NYSE:WST) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 12th. The medical instruments supplier reported $2.04 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.83 by $0.21. West Pharmaceutical Services had a net margin of 16.06% and a return on equity of 17.90%. The company had revenue of $805.00 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $795.70 million. During the same period last year, the business earned $1.82 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 7.5% compared to the same quarter last year. West Pharmaceutical Services has set its FY 2026 guidance at 7.850-8.200 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that West Pharmaceutical Services will post 6.62 EPS for the current fiscal year.

West Pharmaceutical Services Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, May 6th. Investors of record on Wednesday, April 29th will be paid a dividend of $0.22 per share. This represents a $0.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.4%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, April 29th. West Pharmaceutical Services’s payout ratio is currently 12.96%.

West Pharmaceutical Services announced that its board has approved a share repurchase program on Tuesday, February 17th that authorizes the company to buyback $1.00 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the medical instruments supplier to repurchase up to 5.6% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are often a sign that the company’s management believes its shares are undervalued.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On West Pharmaceutical Services

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of WST. Elyxium Wealth LLC acquired a new stake in West Pharmaceutical Services during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Bayban acquired a new position in West Pharmaceutical Services in the fourth quarter worth approximately $27,000. Private Trust Co. NA increased its holdings in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 156.4% in the fourth quarter. Private Trust Co. NA now owns 100 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $28,000 after buying an additional 61 shares in the last quarter. DV Equities LLC bought a new position in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in the fourth quarter valued at $28,000. Finally, International Assets Investment Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services during the 4th quarter valued at $31,000. 93.90% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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.