West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST) Sees Significant Growth in Short Interest

West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST) was the target of a significant growth in short interest in the month of January. As of January 30th, there was short interest totaling 2,560,146 shares, a growth of 33.4% from the January 15th total of 1,918,949 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 1,331,009 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 1.9 days. Approximately 3.6% of the shares of the company are sold short. Approximately 3.6% of the shares of the company are sold short. Based on an average daily volume of 1,331,009 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 1.9 days.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts recently issued reports on the company. KeyCorp boosted their price objective on West Pharmaceutical Services from $325.00 to $350.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, October 24th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in a research report on Friday, January 9th. UBS Group reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $340.00 price objective on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in a research note on Friday. Evercore lowered their target price on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services from $390.00 to $320.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, February 3rd. Finally, Morgan Stanley initiated coverage on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in a report on Monday, December 1st. They issued an “equal weight” rating and a $285.00 target price for the company. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have issued a Buy rating and three have assigned a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $314.56.

Institutional Trading of West Pharmaceutical Services

A number of large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in WST. Elyxium Wealth LLC purchased a new stake in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services during the 4th quarter worth approximately $25,000. CYBER HORNET ETFs LLC bought a new stake in West Pharmaceutical Services in the second quarter worth $25,000. Private Trust Co. NA raised its stake in 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 valued at $28,000 after purchasing an additional 61 shares in the last quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC purchased a new stake in West Pharmaceutical Services during the fourth quarter valued at $31,000. Finally, Vermillion & White Wealth Management Group LLC lifted its position in West Pharmaceutical Services by 193.9% during the second 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. Institutional investors own 93.90% of the company’s stock.

Key Stories Impacting West Pharmaceutical Services

Here are the key news stories impacting West Pharmaceutical Services this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Beat-and-guide: WST reported Q4 EPS of $2.04 vs. $1.83 consensus and revenue of $805M, and issued FY‑2026 EPS guidance of $7.85–$8.20 with revenue ~$3.2–3.3B — the core reason investors pushed the stock higher. West Reports Fourth-Quarter and Full-Year 2025 Results
• Positive Sentiment: Strong demand for drug components: Reuters highlights management’s forecast for 2026 profit above estimates driven by robust demand for HVP components (syringes, cartridges), supporting margin and cash‑flow outlook. West Pharma forecasts 2026 profit above estimates on strong demand for drug components
• Positive Sentiment: Proprietary product progress and outlook: Company commentary and analyst notes emphasize SmartDose and HVP-led growth, with management signaling SmartDose sale activity by mid‑2026 — a potential revenue/margin driver. WST’s Q4 Earnings & Sales Beat, SmartDose Sale by Mid-2026, Stock Up
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst support: TD Cowen reiterated a Buy and kept a $350 price target, citing non‑GLP‑1 growth, margin expansion and regulatory tailwinds — reinforcing investor confidence. Buy Rating on West
• Positive Sentiment: Market reaction coverage: Multiple outlets (Yahoo, Seeking Alpha, TipRanks) note stock strength following results and outlook, reflecting broad positive market reception. West Pharmaceutical Services (WST) Is Up 5.2% After Strong 2025 Results And 2026 Organic Growth Outlook
• Neutral Sentiment: Guidance detail and call transcript: The full earnings call transcript and slide deck provide execution details and cadence for HVP and SmartDose commercialization — useful for modeling but not new directional news. West Pharmaceutical Services Q4 2025 Earnings Call Transcript
• Neutral Sentiment: Peer/value comparison: A Zacks piece compares Cooper (COO) and WST for value seekers — useful for allocation decisions but not directly driving WST’s move. COO vs. WST: Which Stock Is the Better Value Option?
• Neutral Sentiment: Macro market commentary: Coverage noting WST’s role in broader indices/futures is descriptive — relevant for positioning but secondary to fundamentals. Is West Pharmaceutical Services (NYSE:WST) a Pillar In S&P 500 Futures Performance
• Negative Sentiment: Relative underperformance note: MarketWatch flags that WST has underperformed some competitors recently despite daily gains — a reminder of sector competition and potential valuation scrutiny. West Pharmaceutical Services Inc. stock underperforms despite daily gains

West Pharmaceutical Services Price Performance

Shares of WST stock traded up $6.38 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $249.99. The company had a trading volume of 980,206 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,291,847. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.06, a current ratio of 3.02 and a quick ratio of 2.18. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $260.95 and its 200-day moving average price is $261.61. West Pharmaceutical Services has a 52-week low of $187.43 and a 52-week high of $322.34. The company has a market capitalization of $17.98 billion, a P/E ratio of 36.82, a P/E/G ratio of 3.31 and a beta of 1.18.

West Pharmaceutical Services (NYSE:WST) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, February 12th. The medical instruments supplier reported $2.04 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.83 by $0.21. The company had revenue of $805.00 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $795.70 million. West Pharmaceutical Services had a net margin of 16.06% and a return on equity of 17.90%. West Pharmaceutical Services’s quarterly revenue was up 7.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the company posted $1.82 earnings per share. West Pharmaceutical Services has set its FY 2026 guidance at 7.850-8.200 EPS. Equities research analysts forecast that West Pharmaceutical Services will post 6.62 earnings per share for the current year.

West Pharmaceutical Services Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, February 4th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, January 28th were issued a $0.22 dividend. This represents a $0.88 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.4%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, January 28th. West Pharmaceutical Services’s payout ratio is 12.96%.

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.