West Pharmaceutical Services (NYSE:WST) VP Sells $887,500.00 in Stock

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

West Pharmaceutical Services Trading Up 1.3%

Shares of NYSE:WST opened at $366.70 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 2.12, a current ratio of 2.82 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.07. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $348.92 and its 200 day moving average price is $313.93. The company has a market cap of $25.81 billion, a PE ratio of 46.95, a P/E/G ratio of 2.53 and a beta of 1.14. West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $223.83 and a fifty-two week high of $386.00.

West Pharmaceutical Services (NYSE:WST) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, July 23rd. The medical instruments supplier reported $2.37 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.08 by $0.29. The firm had revenue of $872.30 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $839.98 million. West Pharmaceutical Services had a net margin of 16.98% and a return on equity of 20.11%. West Pharmaceutical Services’s quarterly revenue was up 13.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter 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. Sell-side analysts anticipate that West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. will post 8.93 earnings per share for the current year.

West Pharmaceutical Services Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, August 5th. Shareholders 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 payout ratio is presently 11.27%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On West Pharmaceutical Services

Several hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of WST. BlackRock Inc. bought a new stake in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in the 2nd quarter worth $2,387,990,000. Artisan Partners Limited Partnership boosted its stake in West Pharmaceutical Services by 2.9% during the fourth quarter. Artisan Partners Limited Partnership now owns 2,850,401 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $784,259,000 after buying an additional 79,481 shares in the last quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp acquired a new position in West Pharmaceutical Services during the second quarter worth about $733,733,000. Generation Investment Management LLP acquired a new position in West Pharmaceutical Services during the second quarter worth about $728,168,000. Finally, Geode Capital Management LLC raised its position in West Pharmaceutical Services by 0.6% in the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 1,869,086 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $512,250,000 after acquiring an additional 11,962 shares in the last quarter. 93.90% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

WST has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. UBS Group increased their price target 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. KeyCorp upped their price objective on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services from $350.00 to $390.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, July 2nd. Stephens reiterated an “overweight” rating and issued a $360.00 target price on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in a research report on Tuesday, June 2nd. Evercore reissued an “outperform” rating and set a $425.00 target price on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in a research note on Monday, July 27th. Finally, Wolfe Research started coverage on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in a research report on Monday, June 1st. They set an “outperform” rating and a $375.00 price target on the stock. Eleven analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $379.08.

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.