West Pharmaceutical Services (NYSE:WST) VP Sells $921,260.00 in Stock

West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST) VP Annette Favorite sold 2,524 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, September 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $365.00, for a total value of $921,260.00. Following the transaction, the vice president owned 21,818 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $7,963,570. The trade was a 10.37% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan.

West Pharmaceutical Services Stock Performance

Shares of West Pharmaceutical Services stock opened at $366.70 on Friday. West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. has a 1 year low of $223.83 and a 1 year high of $386.00. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $348.92 and its 200 day moving average is $313.93. The stock has a market cap of $25.81 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 46.95, a PEG ratio of 2.53 and a beta of 1.14. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.07, a current ratio of 2.82 and a quick ratio of 2.12.

West Pharmaceutical Services (NYSE:WST) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 23rd. The medical instruments supplier reported $2.37 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.08 by $0.29. The business had revenue of $872.30 million during 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 period last year, the business earned $1.84 EPS. 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. Sell-side analysts anticipate that West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. will post 8.93 EPS for the current fiscal year.

West Pharmaceutical Services Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, August 5th. Investors of record on Wednesday, July 29th were issued a $0.22 dividend. This represents a $0.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.2%. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, July 29th. West Pharmaceutical Services’s payout ratio is presently 11.27%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. BlackRock Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services during the 2nd quarter valued at about $2,387,990,000. Artisan Partners Limited Partnership boosted its holdings in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 2.9% in the fourth quarter. Artisan Partners Limited Partnership now owns 2,850,401 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $784,259,000 after buying an additional 79,481 shares during the last quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp bought a new stake in West Pharmaceutical Services during the second quarter valued at approximately $733,733,000. Generation Investment Management LLP purchased a new stake in West Pharmaceutical Services during the second quarter valued at approximately $728,168,000. Finally, Geode Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services by 0.6% during the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 1,869,086 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $512,250,000 after buying an additional 11,962 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 93.90% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms have commented on WST. BNP Paribas Exane initiated coverage on West Pharmaceutical Services in a report on Monday, July 13th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $447.00 target price for the company. Morgan Stanley lifted their price objective on West Pharmaceutical Services from $325.00 to $365.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Thursday, July 9th. Wolfe Research began coverage on West Pharmaceutical Services in a research report on Monday, June 1st. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $375.00 target price for the company. Zacks Research downgraded shares of West Pharmaceutical Services from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, August 12th. Finally, Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of West Pharmaceutical Services from a “hold (c)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a research note on Friday, August 7th. Eleven analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $379.08.

West Pharmaceutical Services Company Profile

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.