West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST) Given Average Recommendation of "Moderate Buy" by Analysts

Key Points

• West Pharmaceutical Services has an average analyst rating of “Moderate Buy”, with 7 buy ratings, 2 strong buy ratings, and 3 hold ratings across 12 covering firms. The average 1-year price target is about $322.89.
• The company recently reported strong quarterly results, posting EPS of $2.13 versus estimates of $1.68 and revenue of $844.9 million, above expectations. Revenue rose 21% year over year, and the company also issued FY2026 and Q2 2026 guidance.
• West Pharmaceutical Services announced a $1 billion share repurchase program, signaling management may view the stock as undervalued. Meanwhile, insiders recently sold shares, while institutional ownership remains high at 93.9%.

Shares of West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST - Get Free Report) have been given an average rating of "Moderate Buy" by the twelve research firms that are presently covering the stock, MarketBeat reports. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have assigned a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company. The average 1 year price target among brokerages that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $322.8889.

A number of equities analysts recently weighed in on the company. UBS Group reissued a "buy" rating and issued a $340.00 price target on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in a research note on Friday, February 13th. Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of West Pharmaceutical Services from a "hold (c-)" rating to a "hold (c)" rating in a report on Monday, April 27th. Zacks Research raised shares of West Pharmaceutical Services from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 13th. Morgan Stanley set a $315.00 price target on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in a report on Monday, April 27th. Finally, Evercore restated an "outperform" rating on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in a research report on Friday, April 24th.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, VP Annette F. Favorite sold 2,817 shares of West Pharmaceutical Services stock in a transaction on Monday, April 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $305.20, for a total transaction of $859,748.40. Following the transaction, the vice president owned 16,828 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,135,905.60. The trade was a 14.34% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CAO Chad Winters sold 896 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Monday, April 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $300.67, for a total value of $269,400.32. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer directly owned 1,523 shares in the company, valued at $457,920.41. The trade was a 37.04% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. 0.60% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On West Pharmaceutical Services

Institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Elyxium Wealth LLC purchased a new stake in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in the fourth quarter worth approximately $25,000. CYBER HORNET ETFs LLC acquired a new stake in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services during the second quarter worth approximately $25,000. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC grew its position in West Pharmaceutical Services by 90.9% during the first 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 in the last quarter. Bayban purchased a new position in West Pharmaceutical Services during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Finally, Private Trust Co. NA increased its stake in West Pharmaceutical Services by 156.4% in the 4th quarter. Private Trust Co. NA now owns 100 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $28,000 after buying an additional 61 shares during the period. 93.90% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

West Pharmaceutical Services Stock Performance

WST opened at $316.31 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 2.04, a current ratio of 2.71 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.07. The firm has a market cap of $22.35 billion, a PE ratio of 42.29, a P/E/G ratio of 2.56 and a beta of 1.17. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $273.89 and a 200-day simple moving average of $265.99. West Pharmaceutical Services has a fifty-two week low of $203.74 and a fifty-two week high of $330.88.

West Pharmaceutical Services (NYSE:WST - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, April 23rd. The medical instruments supplier reported $2.13 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.68 by $0.45. West Pharmaceutical Services had a return on equity of 19.03% and a net margin of 16.85%.The company had revenue of $844.90 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $779.68 million. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $1.45 earnings per share. West Pharmaceutical Services's revenue for the quarter was up 21.0% compared to the same quarter last year. West Pharmaceutical Services has set its FY 2026 guidance at 8.400-8.750 EPS and its Q2 2026 guidance at 2.050-2.120 EPS. As a group, equities analysts predict that West Pharmaceutical Services will post 8.6 EPS for the current fiscal year.

West Pharmaceutical Services announced that its Board of Directors has initiated a stock repurchase plan on Tuesday, February 17th that permits the company to buyback $1.00 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization permits the medical instruments supplier to repurchase up to 5.6% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback plans are generally an indication that the company's leadership believes its shares are undervalued.

About West Pharmaceutical Services

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.

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