West Pharmaceutical Services (NYSE:WST) Price Target Raised to $415.00

West Pharmaceutical Services (NYSE:WST) had its target price upped by UBS Group from $340.00 to $415.00 in a research report sent to investors on Wednesday, MarketBeat Ratings reports. They currently have a buy rating on the medical instruments supplier’s stock.

Several other equities analysts have also commented on the company. TD Cowen reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in a report on Wednesday, July 15th. Evercore restated an “outperform” rating and set a $425.00 price objective on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in a research report on Monday, July 27th. Citigroup upped their price objective on West Pharmaceutical Services from $400.00 to $412.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, August 3rd. Zacks Research downgraded West Pharmaceutical Services from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 12th. Finally, Barclays raised West Pharmaceutical Services from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and increased their target price for the stock from $310.00 to $400.00 in a research report on Tuesday, June 9th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have issued a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $373.85.

West Pharmaceutical Services Trading Up 0.4%

West Pharmaceutical Services stock opened at $345.49 on Wednesday. West Pharmaceutical Services has a 1 year low of $223.83 and a 1 year high of $386.00. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $348.46 and its 200-day moving average is $310.28. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.07, a quick ratio of 2.12 and a current ratio of 2.82. The company has a market cap of $24.31 billion, a P/E ratio of 44.24, a PEG ratio of 2.41 and a beta of 1.14.

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

West Pharmaceutical Services Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, August 5th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, July 29th were given a dividend of $0.22 per share. This represents a $0.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.3%. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, July 29th. West Pharmaceutical Services’s payout ratio is 11.27%.

Insider Activity

In other news, VP Annette Favorite sold 8,135 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, September 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $340.81, for a total value of $2,772,489.35. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president owned 16,845 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,740,944.45. This represents a 32.57% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Insiders own 0.60% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On West Pharmaceutical Services

Institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Elyxium Wealth LLC acquired a new position in West Pharmaceutical Services during the 4th quarter valued at about $25,000. CYBER HORNET ETFs LLC acquired a new stake in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $25,000. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC lifted its stake in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 90.9% in the 1st quarter. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC now owns 105 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $26,000 after acquiring an additional 50 shares during the period. Bayban bought a new position in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Finally, Avalon Trust Co bought a new position in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in the second quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 93.90% of the company’s stock.

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.