West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST) Receives $314.56 Consensus Target Price from Brokerages

Shares of West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST) have received an average rating of “Buy” from the thirteen research firms that are presently covering the company, MarketBeat.com reports. Three equities research 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 1-year target price among brokers that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $314.5556.

WST has been the topic of a number of research reports. Zacks Research upgraded shares of West Pharmaceutical Services from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 21st. UBS Group reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $340.00 price target on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in a research report on Friday, February 13th. Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c)” rating on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in a research report on Friday, January 9th. Jefferies Financial Group restated a “buy” rating and issued a $295.00 price objective on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in a research note on Tuesday, February 10th. Finally, Barclays reduced their target price on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services from $325.00 to $265.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Friday, February 13th.

West Pharmaceutical Services Stock Down 5.9%

West Pharmaceutical Services stock opened at $233.52 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $16.82 billion, a P/E ratio of 34.39, a PEG ratio of 2.66 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. West Pharmaceutical Services has a fifty-two week low of $187.43 and a fifty-two week high of $322.34. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $252.30 and a 200-day simple moving average of $262.19.

West Pharmaceutical Services (NYSE:WST) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 12th. The medical instruments supplier reported $2.04 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.83 by $0.21. West Pharmaceutical Services had a return on equity of 17.90% and a net margin of 16.06%.The firm had revenue of $805.00 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $795.70 million. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $1.82 EPS. The firm’s quarterly revenue 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. Equities research analysts expect that West Pharmaceutical Services will post 6.62 earnings per share for the current year.

West Pharmaceutical Services announced that its board has authorized a share repurchase 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 purchase up to 5.6% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback programs are generally a sign that the company’s management believes its shares are undervalued.

West Pharmaceutical Services Dividend Announcement

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

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Generation Investment Management LLP purchased a new position in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in the 2nd quarter valued at about $255,072,000. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in West Pharmaceutical Services during the fourth quarter worth about $272,041,000. Artisan Partners Limited Partnership grew its position in West Pharmaceutical Services by 22.2% during the third 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 holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services by 67.5% in the fourth quarter. T. Rowe Price Investment Management Inc. now owns 1,174,962 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $323,280,000 after buying an additional 473,547 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Steadfast Capital Management LP purchased a new position in West Pharmaceutical Services in the third quarter valued at about $123,667,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 93.90% of the company’s stock.

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.