West Pharmaceutical Services (NYSE:WST) VP Sells 2,500 Shares of Stock

West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST) VP Annette Favorite sold 2,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, September 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $355.00, for a total value of $887,500.00. Following the transaction, the vice president owned 21,818 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $7,745,390. This trade represents a 10.28% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan.

West Pharmaceutical Services Stock Performance

Shares of West Pharmaceutical Services stock traded up $9.16 during midday trading on Tuesday, hitting $364.36. The company had a trading volume of 960,006 shares, compared to its average volume of 840,040. West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. has a 1-year low of $223.83 and a 1-year high of $386.00. The business’s 50 day simple moving average is $348.42 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $311.52. The stock has a market cap of $25.64 billion, a PE ratio of 46.65, a P/E/G ratio of 2.42 and a beta of 1.14. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.07, a current ratio of 2.82 and a quick ratio of 2.12.

West Pharmaceutical Services (NYSE:WST) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 23rd. The medical instruments supplier reported $2.37 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.08 by $0.29. The firm had revenue of $872.30 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $839.98 million. West Pharmaceutical Services had a net margin of 16.98% and a return on equity of 20.11%. The business’s revenue was up 13.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $1.84 EPS. 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, equities analysts predict that West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. will post 8.93 EPS for the current fiscal 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 given a dividend of $0.22 per share. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, July 29th. This represents a $0.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.2%. West Pharmaceutical Services’s payout ratio is currently 11.27%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages have commented on WST. Wolfe Research assumed coverage on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in a research note on Monday, June 1st. They set an “outperform” rating and a $375.00 price target for the company. UBS Group boosted their price target on West Pharmaceutical Services from $340.00 to $415.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, September 9th. Morgan Stanley increased their price objective on West Pharmaceutical Services from $325.00 to $365.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Thursday, July 9th. BNP Paribas Exane initiated coverage on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in a report on Monday, July 13th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $447.00 target price on the stock. Finally, Stephens reiterated an “overweight” rating and set a $360.00 target price on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in a research report on Tuesday, June 2nd. Eleven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $379.08.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Tidal Investments LLC increased its position in West Pharmaceutical Services by 52.5% in the 2nd quarter. Tidal Investments LLC now owns 32,535 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $11,680,000 after acquiring an additional 11,205 shares in the last quarter. National Pension Service increased its holdings in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 3,080.6% in the second quarter. National Pension Service now owns 126,271 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $45,331,000 after purchasing an additional 122,301 shares in the last quarter. Engineers Gate Manager LP increased its holdings in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 486.9% in the second quarter. Engineers Gate Manager LP now owns 18,868 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $6,774,000 after purchasing an additional 15,653 shares in the last quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC raised its position in West Pharmaceutical Services by 1.9% in the 2nd quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 2,760 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $991,000 after purchasing an additional 51 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Arizona State Retirement System lifted its holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services by 5.6% during the 2nd quarter. Arizona State Retirement System now owns 20,649 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $7,413,000 after buying an additional 1,100 shares in the last quarter. 93.90% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

About West Pharmaceutical Services

West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc (NYSE: WST) develops and manufactures components and systems used to package, contain and deliver injectable medicines and other healthcare products. Its customers include pharmaceutical, biotechnology and medical device companies, which use West products in drug administration and medical applications.

The company’s offerings include elastomer components such as stoppers, plungers and seals; syringe and cartridge components; vial and container closure systems; and specialized delivery systems for injectable and other complex medicines.