What is Zacks Research's Forecast for WST Q1 Earnings?

Key Points

• Zacks Research raised its Q1 2026 EPS estimate for West Pharmaceutical to $1.66 (from $1.64) and rates the stock a Strong‑Buy, projecting FY2026 EPS of $7.85 (market consensus noted at $6.62).
• West reported $2.04 EPS for the most recent quarter—beating estimates by $0.21—with revenue of $805 million (up 7.5% year‑over‑year) and set FY2026 guidance of $7.85–$8.20 EPS.
• The company’s board authorized a $1.0 billion share repurchase program (about 5.6% of shares) and declared a quarterly dividend of $0.22 per share (annualized $0.88, ~0.4% yield).

West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST - Free Report) - Equities researchers at Zacks Research lifted their Q1 2026 earnings per share estimates for shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in a report released on Thursday, March 5th. Zacks Research analyst Team now forecasts that the medical instruments supplier will post earnings of $1.66 per share for the quarter, up from their previous forecast of $1.64. Zacks Research currently has a "Strong-Buy" rating on the stock. The consensus estimate for West Pharmaceutical Services' current full-year earnings is $6.62 per share. Zacks Research also issued estimates for West Pharmaceutical Services' Q2 2026 earnings at $1.98 EPS, Q3 2026 earnings at $2.05 EPS, Q4 2026 earnings at $2.17 EPS, FY2026 earnings at $7.85 EPS, Q1 2027 earnings at $1.82 EPS, Q4 2027 earnings at $2.51 EPS, FY2027 earnings at $8.79 EPS and FY2028 earnings at $10.29 EPS.

Several other equities analysts have also recently issued reports on WST. Evercore lowered their price objective on West Pharmaceutical Services from $390.00 to $320.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, February 3rd. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reaffirmed a "buy" rating and set a $315.00 price objective on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in a research report on Friday, February 13th. Wall Street Zen raised West Pharmaceutical Services from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Saturday, December 20th. Barclays dropped their price target on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services from $325.00 to $265.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, February 13th. Finally, UBS Group reiterated a "buy" rating and issued a $340.00 price target on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in a research note on Friday, February 13th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have assigned a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of "Buy" and a consensus price target of $314.56.

West Pharmaceutical Services Price Performance

Shares of WST opened at $244.50 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $17.61 billion, a P/E ratio of 36.01, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.63 and a beta of 1.17. The company has a quick ratio of 2.34, a current ratio of 3.02 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.06. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $254.30 and a 200 day moving average of $262.02. West Pharmaceutical Services has a twelve month low of $187.43 and a twelve month high of $322.34.

West Pharmaceutical Services (NYSE:WST - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 12th. The medical instruments supplier reported $2.04 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.83 by $0.21. The business had revenue of $805.00 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $795.70 million. West Pharmaceutical Services had a net margin of 16.06% and a return on equity of 17.90%. West Pharmaceutical Services's revenue was up 7.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the business earned $1.82 EPS. West Pharmaceutical Services has set its FY 2026 guidance at 7.850-8.200 EPS.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. Rockland Trust Co. lifted its holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services by 6.5% during the third quarter. Rockland Trust Co. now owns 83,066 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $21,791,000 after purchasing an additional 5,087 shares in the last quarter. Truist Financial Corp increased its stake in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 73.7% in the third quarter. Truist Financial Corp now owns 29,107 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $7,636,000 after purchasing an additional 12,348 shares in the last quarter. Cibc World Market Inc. raised its position in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 300.0% during the 3rd quarter. Cibc World Market Inc. now owns 18,586 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $4,876,000 after purchasing an additional 13,940 shares during the period. Asset Management One Co. Ltd. lifted its stake in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 16.7% during the 3rd quarter. Asset Management One Co. Ltd. now owns 69,775 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $18,304,000 after buying an additional 10,009 shares in the last quarter. Finally, North Growth Management Ltd. boosted its holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services by 17.2% in the 3rd quarter. North Growth Management Ltd. now owns 34,000 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $8,930,000 after buying an additional 5,000 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 93.90% of the company's stock.

West Pharmaceutical Services Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, May 6th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, April 29th will be issued a dividend of $0.22 per share. This represents a $0.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.4%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, April 29th. West Pharmaceutical Services's dividend payout ratio is currently 12.96%.

West Pharmaceutical Services announced that its Board of Directors has initiated a share buyback program on Tuesday, February 17th that allows the company to repurchase $1.00 billion in shares. This repurchase authorization allows the medical instruments supplier to buy up to 5.6% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase programs are often a sign that the company's board believes its stock is undervalued.

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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