West Pharmaceutical Services (NYSE:WST) Stock Price Crosses Above Two Hundred Day Moving Average - Time to Sell?

Key Points

• West Pharmaceutical Services shares rose above their 200-day moving average, trading near $374.93 versus the $330.99 long-term average.
• Analyst sentiment remains positive: 12 analysts rate WST a Buy and two rate it a Hold, with an average price target of $391.17 and several firms recently raising targets.
• The company reported a quarterly earnings and revenue beat, with EPS of $2.37 versus the $2.08 consensus and revenue up 13.8% year over year. Its dividend is $0.22 per quarter, yielding approximately 0.2%.

West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST - Get Free Report)'s share price crossed above its two hundred day moving average during trading on Wednesday. The stock has a two hundred day moving average of $330.99 and traded as high as $379.21. West Pharmaceutical Services shares last traded at $374.9340, with a volume of 444,553 shares.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms have issued reports on WST. Citigroup boosted their target price on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services from $400.00 to $412.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Monday, August 3rd. UBS Group boosted their price objective on West Pharmaceutical Services from $340.00 to $415.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, September 9th. BNP Paribas Exane initiated coverage on West Pharmaceutical Services in a report on Monday, July 13th. They issued an "outperform" rating and a $447.00 price objective for the company. TD Cowen increased their price objective on West Pharmaceutical Services from $410.00 to $420.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Tuesday. Finally, Morgan Stanley raised West Pharmaceutical Services from an "equal weight" rating to an "overweight" rating and lifted their target price for the company from $365.00 to $400.00 in a research note on Tuesday, September 22nd. Twelve analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $391.17.

West Pharmaceutical Services Price Performance

The company has a current ratio of 2.82, a quick ratio of 2.12 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.07. The company has a market capitalization of $26.39 billion, a P/E ratio of 48.01, a P/E/G ratio of 2.60 and a beta of 1.13. The business's 50-day simple moving average is $356.70 and its 200 day simple moving average is $330.99.

West Pharmaceutical Services (NYSE:WST - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, July 23rd. The medical instruments supplier reported $2.37 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.08 by $0.29. The firm had revenue of $872.30 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $839.98 million. West Pharmaceutical Services had a return on equity of 20.11% and a net margin of 16.98%. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 13.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $1.84 earnings per share. 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. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. will post 8.93 EPS for the current year.

West Pharmaceutical Services Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, August 5th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, July 29th were issued a $0.22 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, July 29th. This represents a $0.88 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.2%. West Pharmaceutical Services's dividend payout ratio is 11.27%.

Insider Transactions at West Pharmaceutical Services

In other West Pharmaceutical Services news, VP Annette Favorite sold 8,135 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, September 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $340.81, for a total value of $2,772,489.35. Following the sale, the vice president directly owned 16,845 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,740,944.45. The trade was a 32.57% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Insiders sold 15,659 shares of company stock worth $5,443,749 over the last quarter. 0.60% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On West Pharmaceutical Services

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Greenleaf Trust boosted its position in West Pharmaceutical Services by 4.1% during the 2nd quarter. Greenleaf Trust now owns 843 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $303,000 after acquiring an additional 33 shares during the period. Wealth Alliance LLC grew its stake in West Pharmaceutical Services by 3.8% during the 1st 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 in the last quarter. IFM Investors Pty Ltd grew its stake in West Pharmaceutical Services by 0.3% during the 1st quarter. IFM Investors Pty Ltd now owns 13,773 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $3,452,000 after acquiring an additional 43 shares in the last quarter. Compound Planning Inc. increased its holdings in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 3.6% in the 1st quarter. Compound Planning Inc. now owns 1,224 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $307,000 after purchasing an additional 43 shares during the period. Finally, Cornerstone Planning Group LLC increased its holdings 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 valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 50 shares during the period. 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 manufacturer of components and systems used in the packaging and delivery of injectable drugs and other healthcare products. The company serves pharmaceutical, biotechnology and medical device manufacturers.

Its products include elastomer closures, syringe and cartridge components, vial seals, administration systems, drug-delivery components and other specialized packaging solutions. West also provides contract-manufacturing services for certain medical and pharmaceutical products.

Founded in 1923, West Pharmaceutical Services supplies customers through manufacturing and operations in North America, Europe and Asia.

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