West Pharmaceutical Services (NYSE:WST) Stock Rating Upgraded by Wall Street Zen

West Pharmaceutical Services (NYSE:WST) was upgraded by equities researchers at Wall Street Zen from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note issued on Saturday.

A number of other equities research analysts have also weighed in on WST. KeyCorp boosted their price objective on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services from $325.00 to $350.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, October 24th. Redburn Partners set a $311.00 price target on West Pharmaceutical Services in a research note on Monday, September 15th. TD Cowen initiated coverage on West Pharmaceutical Services in a report on Wednesday, October 29th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $350.00 price objective on the stock. Cowen began coverage on West Pharmaceutical Services in a report on Wednesday, October 29th. They set a “buy” rating for the company. Finally, Rothschild Redb upgraded shares of West Pharmaceutical Services to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Monday, September 15th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have assigned a Buy rating and four have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, West Pharmaceutical Services currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $342.20.

West Pharmaceutical Services Price Performance

NYSE WST opened at $272.31 on Friday. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $274.12 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $251.92. 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 12-month low of $187.43 and a 12-month high of $348.90. The firm has a market capitalization of $19.59 billion, a P/E ratio of 40.34, a P/E/G ratio of 4.15 and a beta of 1.17.

West Pharmaceutical Services (NYSE:WST) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 23rd. The medical instruments supplier reported $1.96 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.67 by $0.29. The firm had revenue of $804.60 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations 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 quarterly revenue was up 7.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $1.85 EPS. West Pharmaceutical Services has set its FY 2025 guidance at 7.060-7.110 EPS. Analysts forecast that West Pharmaceutical Services will post 6.62 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Trading of West Pharmaceutical Services

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. CYBER HORNET ETFs LLC purchased a new stake in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services during the 2nd quarter worth about $25,000. Quarry LP acquired a new position in West Pharmaceutical Services in the 1st quarter worth about $27,000. Vermillion & White Wealth Management Group LLC boosted 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 worth $32,000 after purchasing an additional 95 shares in the last quarter. SJS Investment Consulting Inc. grew its holdings 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. Finally, CVA Family Office LLC increased its position in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 573.3% in the second quarter. CVA Family Office LLC now owns 202 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $44,000 after buying an additional 172 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 93.90% of the company’s stock.

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.