West Pharmaceutical Services (NYSE:WST) Downgraded to Hold Rating by Zacks Research

Zacks Research lowered shares of West Pharmaceutical Services (NYSE:WST) from a strong-buy rating to a hold rating in a research note published on Tuesday,Zacks.com reports.

Several other brokerages also recently commented on WST. UBS Group reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $340.00 target price on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in a report on Friday, February 13th. Jefferies Financial Group reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $295.00 target price on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in a report on Tuesday, February 10th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c)” rating on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in a report on Friday, January 9th. Barclays lifted their target price on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services from $265.00 to $275.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Tuesday. Finally, Wall Street Zen raised shares of West Pharmaceutical Services from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Saturday, December 20th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have assigned a Buy rating and four have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $315.67.

West Pharmaceutical Services Stock Down 0.6%

West Pharmaceutical Services stock opened at $266.45 on Tuesday. The firm has a market capitalization of $19.21 billion, a PE ratio of 39.24, a P/E/G ratio of 2.85 and a beta of 1.15. The company’s 50-day moving average is $247.67 and its 200-day moving average is $261.55. West Pharmaceutical Services has a fifty-two week low of $193.05 and a fifty-two week high of $322.34. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.06, a current ratio of 3.02 and a quick ratio of 2.34.

West Pharmaceutical Services (NYSE:WST) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, February 12th. The medical instruments supplier reported $2.04 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.83 by $0.21. The business had revenue of $805.00 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate 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 quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $1.82 EPS. West Pharmaceutical Services has set its FY 2026 guidance at 7.850-8.200 EPS. Sell-side analysts anticipate that West Pharmaceutical Services will post 6.62 earnings per share for the current year.

West Pharmaceutical Services announced that its Board of Directors has authorized a share buyback program on Tuesday, February 17th that permits the company to buyback $1.00 billion in shares. This buyback authorization permits the medical instruments supplier to reacquire up to 5.6% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback programs are generally an indication that the company’s management believes its stock is undervalued.

West Pharmaceutical Services Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, May 6th. Stockholders 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 dividend yield of 0.3%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, April 29th. West Pharmaceutical Services’s dividend payout ratio is 12.96%.

Institutional Trading of West Pharmaceutical Services

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in WST. Elyxium Wealth LLC bought a new stake in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services during the 4th quarter worth approximately $25,000. CYBER HORNET ETFs LLC acquired a new position in West Pharmaceutical Services during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $25,000. Bayban acquired a new position in West Pharmaceutical Services during the 4th quarter worth approximately $27,000. Private Trust Co. NA increased its position in West Pharmaceutical Services by 156.4% during the 4th quarter. Private Trust Co. NA now owns 100 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $28,000 after purchasing an additional 61 shares in the last quarter. Finally, DV Equities LLC acquired a new position in West Pharmaceutical Services during the 4th quarter worth approximately $28,000. Institutional investors own 93.90% of the company’s stock.

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.