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

West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST) VP Annette Favorite sold 2,500 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, September 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $345.00, for a total transaction of $862,500.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president owned 21,818 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $7,527,210. This trade represents a 10.28% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan.

West Pharmaceutical Services Price Performance

NYSE WST opened at $364.36 on Wednesday. West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. has a 12 month low of $223.83 and a 12 month high of $386.00. The firm has a market capitalization of $25.64 billion, a PE ratio of 46.65, a P/E/G ratio of 2.48 and a beta of 1.14. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $348.58 and its 200 day simple moving average is $312.34. 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 released its earnings results on Thursday, July 23rd. The medical instruments supplier reported $2.37 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.08 by $0.29. West Pharmaceutical Services had a return on equity of 20.11% and a net margin of 16.98%.The firm had revenue of $872.30 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $839.98 million. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $1.84 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 13.8% compared to the same quarter last year. 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 research analysts forecast that West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. will post 8.93 EPS for the current fiscal year.

West Pharmaceutical Services Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, August 5th. Investors of record on Wednesday, July 29th were paid a dividend of $0.22 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, July 29th. This represents a $0.88 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.2%. West Pharmaceutical Services’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 11.27%.

Institutional Trading of West Pharmaceutical Services

A number of hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in WST. Elyxium Wealth LLC purchased a new stake in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services during the 4th quarter worth about $25,000. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC increased its stake in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 90.9% during the 1st quarter. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC now owns 105 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 50 shares during the last quarter. Bayban bought a new stake in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services during the 4th quarter worth about $27,000. Avalon Trust Co bought a new position in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in the second quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Finally, Addison Advisors LLC acquired a new position in West Pharmaceutical Services during the 2nd quarter worth $28,000. 93.90% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages have recently issued reports on WST. Weiss Ratings raised shares of West Pharmaceutical Services from a “hold (c)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a research note on Friday, August 7th. Wolfe Research assumed coverage on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in a report on Monday, June 1st. They set an “outperform” rating and a $375.00 target price for the company. Citigroup upped their price target on West Pharmaceutical Services from $400.00 to $412.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, August 3rd. UBS Group raised their price objective on West Pharmaceutical Services from $340.00 to $415.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, September 9th. Finally, Morgan Stanley boosted their target price on West Pharmaceutical Services from $325.00 to $365.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Thursday, July 9th. Eleven analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $379.08.

West Pharmaceutical Services Company Profile

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.