West Pharmaceutical Services' (WST) "Overweight" Rating Reiterated at Stephens

Key Points

• Stephens reaffirmed an “overweight” rating on West Pharmaceutical Services and kept a $360 price target, implying about 14% upside from the prior close. The move comes amid generally positive analyst sentiment, with MarketBeat showing a Moderate Buy consensus.
• West Pharmaceutical Services reported strong quarterly results, with EPS of $2.13 topping estimates and revenue of $844.9 million beating expectations, while sales rose 21% year over year. The company also provided FY2026 guidance of $8.40 to $8.75 EPS.
• The company authorized a $1 billion share repurchase program, signaling confidence in its valuation. Recent insider selling by the CAO and a vice president was also disclosed, while institutional investors own 93.9% of the stock.

West Pharmaceutical Services (NYSE:WST - Get Free Report)'s stock had its "overweight" rating reaffirmed by Stephens in a report issued on Tuesday,Benzinga reports. They presently have a $360.00 price objective on the medical instruments supplier's stock. Stephens' price objective indicates a potential upside of 13.97% from the stock's previous close.

A number of other analysts have also weighed in on the stock. Evercore reissued an "outperform" rating on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in a report on Friday, April 24th. Morgan Stanley raised their price target on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services from $315.00 to $325.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a report on Friday. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reissued a "buy" rating and issued a $315.00 price target on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in a report on Friday, February 13th. Barclays lifted their target price on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services from $275.00 to $310.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a report on Monday, April 27th. Finally, Zacks Research raised shares of West Pharmaceutical Services from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, May 13th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have issued a Buy rating and three have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $327.60.

West Pharmaceutical Services Stock Performance

Shares of West Pharmaceutical Services stock opened at $315.87 on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.07, a current ratio of 2.71 and a quick ratio of 2.04. The firm has a market cap of $22.32 billion, a P/E ratio of 42.23, a P/E/G ratio of 2.70 and a beta of 1.18. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $285.07 and a 200 day simple moving average of $267.94. West Pharmaceutical Services has a fifty-two week low of $206.19 and a fifty-two week high of $330.88.

West Pharmaceutical Services (NYSE:WST - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 23rd. The medical instruments supplier reported $2.13 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.68 by $0.45. The business had revenue of $844.90 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $779.68 million. West Pharmaceutical Services had a net margin of 16.85% and a return on equity of 19.03%. West Pharmaceutical Services's revenue for the quarter was up 21.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $1.45 earnings per share. 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. Sell-side analysts predict that West Pharmaceutical Services will post 8.6 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

West Pharmaceutical Services declared that its Board of Directors has authorized a share repurchase program 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 programs are usually an indication that the company's leadership believes its stock is undervalued.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, CAO Chad Winters sold 896 shares of West Pharmaceutical Services stock in a transaction on Monday, April 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $300.67, for a total transaction of $269,400.32. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer directly owned 1,523 shares of the company's stock, valued at $457,920.41. This trade represents a 37.04% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, 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 directly owned 16,828 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,135,905.60. This represents a 14.34% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Company insiders own 0.60% of the company's stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On West Pharmaceutical Services

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in WST. Elyxium Wealth LLC bought a new stake in West Pharmaceutical Services in the 4th quarter valued at $25,000. Bayban bought a new stake in West Pharmaceutical Services in the 4th quarter valued at $27,000. Private Trust Co. NA lifted its position 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 acquiring an additional 61 shares in the last quarter. DV Equities LLC bought a new stake in West Pharmaceutical Services in the 4th quarter valued at $28,000. Finally, Cornerstone Planning Group LLC lifted its position in 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 acquiring an additional 50 shares in the last quarter. 93.90% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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.

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