Barclays Issues Positive Forecast for West Pharmaceutical Services (NYSE:WST) Stock Price
by Doug Wharley · The Cerbat GemWest Pharmaceutical Services (NYSE:WST – Get Free Report) had its price target lifted by equities research analysts at Barclays from $265.00 to $275.00 in a research note issued on Tuesday,Benzinga reports. The firm currently has an “equal weight” rating on the medical instruments supplier’s stock. Barclays‘s target price indicates a potential upside of 2.68% from the company’s previous close.
Other research analysts have also recently issued research reports about the stock. Jefferies Financial Group restated a “buy” rating and set a $295.00 target price on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in a report on Tuesday, February 10th. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of West Pharmaceutical Services from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Saturday, December 20th. Evercore lowered their price target on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services from $390.00 to $320.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, February 3rd. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c)” rating on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in a research report on Friday, January 9th. Finally, Zacks Research raised shares of West Pharmaceutical Services from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 21st. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have given a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $315.67.
View Our Latest Research Report on WST
West Pharmaceutical Services Stock Up 3.0%
Shares of WST stock traded up $7.87 during trading hours on Tuesday, hitting $267.83. 783,074 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 963,692. The business has a 50 day moving average of $246.34 and a two-hundred day moving average of $261.48. The company has a current ratio of 3.02, a quick ratio of 2.34 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.06. West Pharmaceutical Services has a 52 week low of $193.05 and a 52 week high of $322.34. The company has a market capitalization of $19.31 billion, a PE ratio of 39.44, a PEG ratio of 2.73 and a beta of 1.15.
West Pharmaceutical Services (NYSE:WST – Get Free Report) 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. West Pharmaceutical Services had a net margin of 16.06% and a return on equity of 17.90%. The business had revenue of $805.00 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $795.70 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $1.82 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was up 7.5% on a year-over-year basis. West Pharmaceutical Services has set its FY 2026 guidance at 7.850-8.200 EPS. Analysts anticipate that West Pharmaceutical Services will post 6.62 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.
West Pharmaceutical Services announced that its board has authorized a share buyback program on Tuesday, February 17th that allows the company to buyback $1.00 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization allows the medical instruments supplier to purchase up to 5.6% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback programs are generally a sign that the company’s board of directors believes its stock is undervalued.
Institutional Investors Weigh In On West Pharmaceutical Services
A number of institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in WST. Empowered Funds LLC grew its holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services by 16.1% during the 1st quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 1,611 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $361,000 after acquiring an additional 224 shares during the last quarter. Intech Investment Management LLC grew its holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services by 27.7% during the 1st quarter. Intech Investment Management LLC now owns 6,020 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $1,348,000 after acquiring an additional 1,307 shares during the last quarter. Acadian Asset Management LLC grew its holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services by 14.1% during the 1st quarter. Acadian Asset Management LLC now owns 1,271 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $284,000 after acquiring an additional 157 shares during the last quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC grew its holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services by 78.2% during the 2nd quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 449 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $98,000 after acquiring an additional 197 shares during the last quarter. Finally, First Trust Advisors LP grew its holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services by 168.4% during the 2nd quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 46,332 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $10,137,000 after acquiring an additional 29,067 shares during the last quarter. 93.90% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.
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.