West Pharmaceutical Services (NYSE:WST) Upgraded to Strong-Buy at Zacks Research

West Pharmaceutical Services (NYSE:WST) was upgraded by equities researchers at Zacks Research from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note issued on Wednesday,Zacks.com reports. Zacks Research also issued estimates for West Pharmaceutical Services’ Q4 2025 earnings at $1.82 EPS, FY2025 earnings at $7.07 EPS, Q2 2026 earnings at $1.92 EPS, Q4 2026 earnings at $2.01 EPS, FY2026 earnings at $7.52 EPS, Q1 2027 earnings at $1.67 EPS, Q2 2027 earnings at $2.27 EPS, Q3 2027 earnings at $2.30 EPS and FY2027 earnings at $8.51 EPS.

Other analysts have also recently issued research reports about the stock. Barclays raised their price objective on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services from $275.00 to $325.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Monday, October 27th. UBS Group lifted their price target on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services from $320.00 to $355.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, October 24th. Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in a research note on Friday, January 9th. KeyCorp raised their price objective on West Pharmaceutical Services from $325.00 to $350.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, October 24th. Finally, Evercore ISI lifted their price target 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. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have given a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $335.78.

West Pharmaceutical Services Trading Down 2.9%

Shares of NYSE:WST opened at $247.87 on Wednesday. West Pharmaceutical Services has a 52 week low of $187.43 and a 52 week high of $348.90. The company’s 50 day moving average is $271.21 and its two-hundred day moving average is $260.49. The company has a market cap of $17.83 billion, a PE ratio of 36.72, a P/E/G ratio of 3.52 and a beta of 1.17. The company has a current ratio of 2.87, a quick ratio of 2.18 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.07.

West Pharmaceutical Services (NYSE:WST) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 23rd. The medical instruments supplier reported $1.96 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.67 by $0.29. The business had revenue of $804.60 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $788.42 million. West Pharmaceutical Services had a return on equity of 18.16% and a net margin of 16.29%.The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 7.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $1.85 EPS. Equities analysts predict that West Pharmaceutical Services will post 6.62 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. CYBER HORNET ETFs LLC acquired a new stake in West Pharmaceutical Services during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $25,000. Vermillion & White Wealth Management Group LLC raised its position in West Pharmaceutical Services by 193.9% in 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 period. SJS Investment Consulting Inc. raised its position in West Pharmaceutical Services by 1,842.9% in the third quarter. SJS Investment Consulting Inc. now owns 136 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $36,000 after purchasing an additional 129 shares during the period. CVA Family Office LLC lifted its stake in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 573.3% during the second quarter. CVA Family Office LLC now owns 202 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $44,000 after purchasing an additional 172 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Pilgrim Partners Asia Pte Ltd purchased a new stake in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in the third quarter worth about $47,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 93.90% of the company’s stock.

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.