West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST - Get Free Report) VP Annette Favorite sold 2,524 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, September 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $365.00, for a total value of $921,260.00. Following the transaction, the vice president owned 21,818 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,963,570. This represents a 10.37% decrease in their position. The sale 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%
NYSE WST traded up $9.16 on Tuesday, reaching $364.36. The company had a trading volume of 960,006 shares, compared to its average volume of 840,040. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.07, a current ratio of 2.82 and a quick ratio of 2.12. West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. has a 1 year low of $223.83 and a 1 year high of $386.00. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $348.42 and a 200-day moving average of $311.52. The firm has a market capitalization of $25.64 billion, a PE ratio of 46.65, a P/E/G ratio of 2.42 and a beta of 1.14.
West Pharmaceutical Services (NYSE:WST - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, July 23rd. The medical instruments supplier reported $2.37 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate 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 period in the prior year, the firm earned $1.84 earnings per share. The business's quarterly revenue 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 research analysts anticipate that West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. will post 8.93 EPS for the current fiscal year.
West Pharmaceutical Services Announces Dividend
The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, August 5th. Stockholders 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 dividend yield of 0.2%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, July 29th. West Pharmaceutical Services's payout ratio is presently 11.27%.
Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades
Several research firms have issued reports on WST. UBS Group lifted their price objective on West Pharmaceutical Services from $340.00 to $415.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, September 9th. BNP Paribas Exane started coverage on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in a report on Monday, July 13th. They issued an "outperform" rating and a $447.00 price target on the stock. Wolfe Research began coverage on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in a research report on Monday, June 1st. They issued an "outperform" rating and a $375.00 target price for the company. Zacks Research cut shares of West Pharmaceutical Services from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 12th. Finally, Stephens reissued an "overweight" rating and issued a $360.00 price objective on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in a report on Tuesday, June 2nd. Eleven research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have assigned a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, West Pharmaceutical Services currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $379.08.
Check Out Our Latest Stock Report on WST
Institutional Investors Weigh In On West Pharmaceutical Services
A number of hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in WST. Greenleaf Trust lifted its holdings in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 4.1% during the second quarter. Greenleaf Trust now owns 843 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $303,000 after buying an additional 33 shares during the last quarter. Wealth Alliance LLC increased its stake in West Pharmaceutical Services by 3.8% in the first quarter. Wealth Alliance LLC now owns 945 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $237,000 after acquiring an additional 35 shares during the period. IFM Investors Pty Ltd raised its holdings in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 0.3% in the 1st quarter. IFM Investors Pty Ltd now owns 13,773 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $3,452,000 after buying an additional 43 shares in the last quarter. Compound Planning Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 3.6% during the first quarter. Compound Planning Inc. now owns 1,224 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $307,000 after acquiring an additional 43 shares during the period. Finally, Cornerstone Planning Group LLC boosted 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 valued at $26,000 after buying an additional 50 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 93.90% of the company's stock.
West Pharmaceutical Services Company Profile
(
Get Free Report)
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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