West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST) Sees Significant Increase in Short Interest

West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST) was the target of a large growth in short interest during the month of January. As of January 30th, there was short interest totaling 2,560,146 shares, a growth of 33.4% from the January 15th total of 1,918,949 shares. Approximately 3.6% of the shares of the stock are sold short. Based on an average trading volume of 1,331,009 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 1.9 days. Based on an average trading volume of 1,331,009 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 1.9 days. Approximately 3.6% of the shares of the stock are sold short.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages recently weighed in on WST. Zacks Research raised shares of West Pharmaceutical Services from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 21st. Barclays lowered their price objective on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services from $325.00 to $265.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday. KeyCorp upped their target price on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services from $325.00 to $350.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, October 24th. Evercore reduced their target price on West Pharmaceutical Services from $390.00 to $320.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, February 3rd. Finally, UBS Group reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $340.00 price target on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in a research note on Friday. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have given a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $314.56.

Key West Pharmaceutical Services News

Here are the key news stories impacting West Pharmaceutical Services this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Beat-and-guide: WST reported Q4 EPS of $2.04 vs. $1.83 consensus and revenue of $805M, and issued FY‑2026 EPS guidance of $7.85–$8.20 with revenue ~$3.2–3.3B — the core reason investors pushed the stock higher. West Reports Fourth-Quarter and Full-Year 2025 Results
• Positive Sentiment: Strong demand for drug components: Reuters highlights management’s forecast for 2026 profit above estimates driven by robust demand for HVP components (syringes, cartridges), supporting margin and cash‑flow outlook. West Pharma forecasts 2026 profit above estimates on strong demand for drug components
• Positive Sentiment: Proprietary product progress and outlook: Company commentary and analyst notes emphasize SmartDose and HVP-led growth, with management signaling SmartDose sale activity by mid‑2026 — a potential revenue/margin driver. WST’s Q4 Earnings & Sales Beat, SmartDose Sale by Mid-2026, Stock Up
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst support: TD Cowen reiterated a Buy and kept a $350 price target, citing non‑GLP‑1 growth, margin expansion and regulatory tailwinds — reinforcing investor confidence. Buy Rating on West
• Positive Sentiment: Market reaction coverage: Multiple outlets (Yahoo, Seeking Alpha, TipRanks) note stock strength following results and outlook, reflecting broad positive market reception. West Pharmaceutical Services (WST) Is Up 5.2% After Strong 2025 Results And 2026 Organic Growth Outlook
• Neutral Sentiment: Guidance detail and call transcript: The full earnings call transcript and slide deck provide execution details and cadence for HVP and SmartDose commercialization — useful for modeling but not new directional news. West Pharmaceutical Services Q4 2025 Earnings Call Transcript
• Neutral Sentiment: Peer/value comparison: A Zacks piece compares Cooper (COO) and WST for value seekers — useful for allocation decisions but not directly driving WST’s move. COO vs. WST: Which Stock Is the Better Value Option?
• Neutral Sentiment: Macro market commentary: Coverage noting WST’s role in broader indices/futures is descriptive — relevant for positioning but secondary to fundamentals. Is West Pharmaceutical Services (NYSE:WST) a Pillar In S&P 500 Futures Performance
• Negative Sentiment: Relative underperformance note: MarketWatch flags that WST has underperformed some competitors recently despite daily gains — a reminder of sector competition and potential valuation scrutiny. West Pharmaceutical Services Inc. stock underperforms despite daily gains

Institutional Investors Weigh In On West Pharmaceutical Services

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Rockland Trust Co. lifted its stake in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 6.5% in the 3rd quarter. Rockland Trust Co. now owns 83,066 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $21,791,000 after purchasing an additional 5,087 shares during the period. Asset Management One Co. Ltd. raised its position in West Pharmaceutical Services by 16.7% in the third quarter. Asset Management One Co. Ltd. now owns 69,775 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $18,304,000 after acquiring an additional 10,009 shares during the period. North Growth Management Ltd. boosted its stake in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 17.2% during the 3rd quarter. North Growth Management Ltd. now owns 34,000 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $8,930,000 after acquiring an additional 5,000 shares during the last quarter. Truist Financial Corp grew its position in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 73.7% during the 3rd quarter. Truist Financial Corp now owns 29,107 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $7,636,000 after acquiring an additional 12,348 shares during the period. Finally, Amundi increased its stake in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 83.4% in the 2nd quarter. Amundi now owns 502,831 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $111,236,000 after purchasing an additional 228,696 shares in the last quarter. 93.90% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

West Pharmaceutical Services Trading Up 2.6%

West Pharmaceutical Services stock traded up $6.38 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $249.99. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 980,206 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,291,847. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $260.95 and a 200-day moving average price of $261.61. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.06, a current ratio of 3.02 and a quick ratio of 2.18. West Pharmaceutical Services has a 12 month low of $187.43 and a 12 month high of $322.34. The stock has a market cap of $17.98 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 36.82, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.31 and a beta of 1.18.

West Pharmaceutical Services (NYSE:WST) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 12th. The medical instruments supplier reported $2.04 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate 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 in the previous year, the business earned $1.82 earnings per share. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 7.5% on a year-over-year basis. West Pharmaceutical Services has set its FY 2026 guidance at 7.850-8.200 EPS. As a group, analysts forecast that West Pharmaceutical Services will post 6.62 EPS for the current year.

West Pharmaceutical Services Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, February 4th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, January 28th were 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 of this dividend was Wednesday, January 28th. West Pharmaceutical Services’s dividend payout ratio is 12.96%.

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.