Zacks Research Issues Optimistic Estimate for WST Earnings

West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST) – Equities research analysts at Zacks Research increased their FY2025 EPS estimates for West Pharmaceutical Services in a research report issued on Thursday, January 22nd. Zacks Research analyst Team now expects that the medical instruments supplier will earn $7.07 per share for the year, up from their prior estimate of $7.06. Zacks Research currently has a “Strong-Buy” rating on the stock. The consensus estimate for West Pharmaceutical Services’ current full-year earnings is $6.62 per share. Zacks Research also issued estimates for West Pharmaceutical Services’ Q4 2025 earnings at $1.82 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.

West Pharmaceutical Services (NYSE:WST) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 23rd. The medical instruments supplier reported $1.96 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.67 by $0.29. The business had revenue of $804.60 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $788.42 million. West Pharmaceutical Services had a return on equity of 18.16% and a net margin of 16.29%.The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 7.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $1.85 earnings per share.

Several other equities analysts have also weighed in on WST. 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 price objective on the stock. Evercore ISI raised 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. TD Cowen assumed coverage on West Pharmaceutical Services in a report on Wednesday, October 29th. They issued a “buy” rating for the company. UBS Group boosted their target price on West Pharmaceutical Services from $320.00 to $355.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, October 24th. Finally, Barclays boosted their price objective on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services from $275.00 to $325.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Monday, October 27th. Three 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. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $335.78.

West Pharmaceutical Services Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:WST opened at $247.87 on Friday. 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 has a 1-year low of $187.43 and a 1-year high of $348.90. The stock has a market capitalization of $17.83 billion, a P/E ratio of 36.72, a P/E/G ratio of 3.52 and a beta of 1.17. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $271.21 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $260.49.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On West Pharmaceutical Services

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Apollon Wealth Management LLC increased its holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services by 11.0% during the 4th quarter. Apollon Wealth Management LLC now owns 971 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $267,000 after purchasing an additional 96 shares in the last quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC bought a new position in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services during the fourth quarter worth about $643,000. OFI Invest Asset Management acquired a new stake in West Pharmaceutical Services in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $19,964,000. Darwin Wealth Management LLC lifted its stake in West Pharmaceutical Services by 10.8% in the 4th quarter. Darwin Wealth Management LLC now owns 410 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $113,000 after acquiring an additional 40 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Blue Zone Wealth Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 1.3% during the 4th quarter. Blue Zone Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 29,248 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $8,047,000 after acquiring an additional 365 shares in the last quarter. 93.90% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

West Pharmaceutical Services Announces Dividend

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

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.