West Pharmaceutical Services (NYSE:WST) CAO Sells $269,400.32 in Stock

West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST) CAO Chad Winters sold 896 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, April 27th. The stock was 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. The trade was a 37.04% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link.

West Pharmaceutical Services Stock Up 1.0%

West Pharmaceutical Services stock opened at $300.55 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $21.23 billion, a PE ratio of 40.18, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.49 and a beta of 1.17. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.07, a quick ratio of 2.04 and a current ratio of 2.71. West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $202.79 and a fifty-two week high of $322.34. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $257.16 and a 200 day moving average price of $263.24.

West Pharmaceutical Services (NYSE:WST) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 23rd. The medical instruments supplier reported $2.13 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.68 by $0.45. West Pharmaceutical Services had a return on equity of 19.03% and a net margin of 16.85%.The company had revenue of $844.90 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $779.68 million. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $1.45 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was up 21.0% compared to the same quarter last year. 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. Research analysts expect that West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. will post 8.61 earnings per share for the current year.

West Pharmaceutical Services Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, May 6th. Investors 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 0.3%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, April 29th. West Pharmaceutical Services’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 11.76%.

West Pharmaceutical Services declared that its Board of Directors has approved a share repurchase plan on Tuesday, February 17th that permits the company to buyback $1.00 billion in shares. This buyback authorization permits the medical instruments supplier to repurchase up to 5.6% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback plans are often a sign that the company’s board of directors believes its stock is undervalued.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

WST has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $315.00 price target on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in a research note on Friday, February 13th. Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of West Pharmaceutical Services from a “hold (c-)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a report on Monday. Morgan Stanley set a $315.00 target price on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in a research note on Monday. Evercore reiterated an “outperform” rating on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in a report on Friday, April 24th. Finally, UBS Group reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $340.00 price target on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in a research report on Friday, February 13th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have issued a Buy rating and four have given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $322.89.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On West Pharmaceutical Services

A number of large investors have recently modified their holdings of WST. Flagship Harbor Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 3.7% during the 3rd quarter. Flagship Harbor Advisors LLC now owns 1,091 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $286,000 after purchasing an additional 39 shares during the last quarter. NewEdge Wealth LLC increased its holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services by 3.5% in the third quarter. NewEdge Wealth LLC now owns 1,174 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $333,000 after buying an additional 40 shares during the last quarter. Darwin Wealth Management LLC increased its holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services by 10.8% in the fourth quarter. Darwin Wealth Management LLC now owns 410 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $113,000 after buying an additional 40 shares during the last quarter. IFM Investors Pty Ltd raised its stake in West Pharmaceutical Services by 0.3% in the first quarter. IFM Investors Pty Ltd now owns 13,773 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $3,452,000 after buying an additional 43 shares in the last quarter. Finally, RFG Advisory LLC lifted its holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services by 2.2% during the 3rd quarter. RFG Advisory LLC now owns 2,233 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $586,000 after buying an additional 47 shares during the last quarter. 93.90% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other 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.