Insider Selling: West Pharmaceutical Services (NYSE:WST) VP Sells 2,500 Shares

Key Points

• West Pharmaceutical Services VP Annette Favorite sold 2,500 shares at an average price of $345, generating $862,500. The transaction was conducted under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 plan, leaving her with 21,818 shares.
• WST shares rose 2.6% to $364.36, while the company reported quarterly EPS of $2.37 and revenue of $872.3 million, exceeding analyst expectations and marking 13.8% year-over-year revenue growth.
• Analysts maintain a “Moderate Buy” consensus, with 11 Buy ratings and three Holds and an average price target of $379.08. UBS, Citigroup, and BNP Paribas Exane recently issued bullish ratings or raised their targets.

West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST - Get Free Report) VP Annette Favorite sold 2,500 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Friday, September 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $345.00, for a total transaction of $862,500.00. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president directly owned 21,818 shares in the company, valued at $7,527,210. This represents a 10.28% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan.

West Pharmaceutical Services Stock Up 2.6%

WST stock traded up $9.16 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, hitting $364.36. 960,006 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 840,040. The company has a market capitalization of $25.64 billion, a PE ratio of 46.65, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.42 and a beta of 1.14. The company has a current ratio of 2.82, a quick ratio of 2.12 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.07. West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. has a twelve month low of $223.83 and a twelve month high of $386.00. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $348.42 and a 200 day simple moving average of $311.52.

West Pharmaceutical Services (NYSE:WST - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, July 23rd. The medical instruments supplier reported $2.37 earnings per share (EPS) 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 for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $839.98 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $1.84 EPS. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 13.8% on a year-over-year basis. 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, research analysts forecast that West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. will post 8.93 earnings per share 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 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.2%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, July 29th. West Pharmaceutical Services's payout ratio is currently 11.27%.

Institutional Trading of West Pharmaceutical Services

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Elyxium Wealth LLC acquired a new position in West Pharmaceutical Services during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC increased its position in 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 buying an additional 50 shares during the period. Bayban acquired a new stake in West Pharmaceutical Services in the fourth quarter worth $27,000. Avalon Trust Co bought a new stake in West Pharmaceutical Services in the second quarter valued at $28,000. Finally, Addison Advisors LLC bought a new stake in West Pharmaceutical Services in the second quarter valued at $28,000. 93.90% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts have commented on WST shares. UBS Group increased their target price on West Pharmaceutical Services from $340.00 to $415.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, September 9th. Stephens reiterated an "overweight" rating and issued a $360.00 price target on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in a report on Tuesday, June 2nd. Morgan Stanley upped their price target on West Pharmaceutical Services from $325.00 to $365.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Thursday, July 9th. BNP Paribas Exane started coverage on West Pharmaceutical Services in a research note on Monday, July 13th. They set an "outperform" rating and a $447.00 price objective on the stock. Finally, Citigroup lifted their price objective on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services from $400.00 to $412.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Monday, August 3rd. Eleven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, West Pharmaceutical Services has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $379.08.

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.

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