West Pharmaceutical Services (NYSE:WST) Raised to “Strong-Buy” at Zacks Research

West Pharmaceutical Services (NYSE:WST) was upgraded by research analysts at Zacks Research from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report issued to clients and investors on Wednesday,Zacks.com reports.

Several other research firms have also recently weighed in on WST. Morgan Stanley set a $315.00 price target on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in a report on Monday, April 27th. Jefferies Financial Group reissued a “buy” rating and set a $295.00 target price on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in a research report on Tuesday, February 10th. Barclays boosted their target price on 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 reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $340.00 target price on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in a report on Friday, February 13th. Finally, Citigroup reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in a research report on Friday, April 24th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have assigned a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, West Pharmaceutical Services has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $322.89.

West Pharmaceutical Services Trading Down 0.7%

NYSE WST opened at $300.13 on Wednesday. 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 business has a fifty day simple moving average of $267.64 and a 200 day simple moving average of $265.17. West Pharmaceutical Services has a 12 month low of $202.79 and a 12 month high of $330.88. The firm has a market capitalization of $21.20 billion, a P/E ratio of 40.12, a PEG ratio of 2.53 and a beta of 1.17.

West Pharmaceutical Services (NYSE:WST) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 23rd. The medical instruments supplier reported $2.13 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping 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 firm had revenue of $844.90 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $779.68 million. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $1.45 EPS. The business’s revenue for the quarter 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, analysts predict that West Pharmaceutical Services will post 8.61 EPS for the current fiscal year.

West Pharmaceutical Services announced that its Board of Directors has initiated a stock buyback program on Tuesday, February 17th that authorizes the company to buyback $1.00 billion in shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the medical instruments supplier to buy up to 5.6% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are generally an indication that the company’s leadership believes its stock is undervalued.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other West Pharmaceutical Services news, CAO Chad Winters sold 896 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, April 27th. The stock was 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 directly owned 1,523 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $457,920.41. This represents a 37.04% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, VP Annette F. Favorite sold 2,817 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, April 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $305.20, for a total value of $859,748.40. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president directly owned 16,828 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $5,135,905.60. This represents a 14.34% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders own 0.60% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Elyxium Wealth LLC bought a new stake in West Pharmaceutical Services in the 4th quarter valued at about $25,000. Bayban purchased a new stake in West Pharmaceutical Services during the fourth quarter valued at about $27,000. Private Trust Co. NA boosted its position in West Pharmaceutical Services by 156.4% during the fourth 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 period. DV Equities LLC purchased a new position in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in the fourth quarter worth about $28,000. Finally, Cornerstone Planning Group LLC increased its stake in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 90.9% in the first 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 in the last quarter. 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.