Zacks Research Analysts Raise Earnings Estimates for WST

West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST) – Analysts at Zacks Research raised their Q4 2027 EPS estimates for West Pharmaceutical Services in a research note issued on Thursday, January 22nd. Zacks Research analyst Team now expects that the medical instruments supplier will post earnings per share of $2.26 for the quarter, up from their prior estimate of $2.20. Zacks Research has a “Strong-Buy” rating on the stock. The consensus estimate for West Pharmaceutical Services’ current full-year earnings is $6.62 per share.

A number of other research firms have also recently weighed in on WST. KeyCorp boosted their target price on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services from $325.00 to $350.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, October 24th. Morgan Stanley began coverage on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in a report on Monday, December 1st. They issued an “equal weight” rating and a $285.00 price target on the stock. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft set a $345.00 price objective on West Pharmaceutical Services and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, October 24th. Evercore ISI raised their target price on West Pharmaceutical Services from $350.00 to $390.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 23rd. Finally, UBS Group upped their price target on West Pharmaceutical Services from $320.00 to $355.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, October 24th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have issued a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $335.78.

West Pharmaceutical Services Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:WST opened at $240.50 on Monday. The company has a current ratio of 2.87, a quick ratio of 2.18 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.07. The stock has a market cap of $17.30 billion, a PE ratio of 35.63, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.32 and a beta of 1.17. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $269.92 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $261.29. West Pharmaceutical Services has a 1-year low of $187.43 and a 1-year high of $348.90.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Private Trust Co. NA grew its position in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 156.4% during the fourth quarter. Private Trust Co. NA now owns 100 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $28,000 after buying an additional 61 shares in the last quarter. CYBER HORNET ETFs LLC purchased a new position in West Pharmaceutical Services in the second quarter worth approximately $25,000. SJS Investment Consulting Inc. grew its holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services by 1,842.9% during the 3rd quarter. SJS Investment Consulting Inc. now owns 136 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $36,000 after acquiring an additional 129 shares in the last quarter. Vermillion & White Wealth Management Group LLC increased its position in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 193.9% in the 2nd quarter. Vermillion & White Wealth Management Group LLC now owns 144 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $32,000 after purchasing an additional 95 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Pilgrim Partners Asia Pte Ltd acquired a new stake in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in the 3rd quarter valued at $47,000. 93.90% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

West Pharmaceutical Services Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, February 4th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, January 28th will be paid a dividend of $0.22 per share. This represents a $0.88 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.4%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, January 28th. West Pharmaceutical Services’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 13.04%.

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.