West Pharmaceutical Services (NYSE:WST) Upgraded at Zacks Research

Zacks Research upgraded shares of West Pharmaceutical Services (NYSE:WST) from a hold rating to a strong-buy rating in a report issued on Wednesday morning,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.

A number of other equities analysts also recently commented on the stock. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft set a $345.00 target price on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, October 24th. KeyCorp lifted their price target on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services from $325.00 to $350.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, October 24th. TD Cowen started coverage on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in a research note on Wednesday, October 29th. They set a “buy” rating for the company. 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. Finally, Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in a research note on Friday, January 9th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have assigned a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $335.78.

West Pharmaceutical Services Stock Performance

NYSE WST opened at $236.78 on Wednesday. The company has a quick ratio of 2.18, a current ratio of 2.87 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.07. West Pharmaceutical Services has a twelve month low of $187.43 and a twelve month high of $348.90. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $270.73 and a 200-day moving average price of $260.59. The firm has a market cap of $17.03 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 35.08, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.41 and a beta of 1.17.

West Pharmaceutical Services (NYSE:WST) last released its earnings results on Thursday, October 23rd. The medical instruments supplier reported $1.96 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.67 by $0.29. The firm had revenue of $804.60 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $788.42 million. West Pharmaceutical Services had a net margin of 16.29% and a return on equity of 18.16%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 7.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $1.85 earnings per share. As a group, equities research analysts predict that West Pharmaceutical Services will post 6.62 EPS for the current fiscal year.

West Pharmaceutical Services Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, February 4th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, January 28th will be paid a $0.22 dividend. 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 13.04%.

Institutional Trading of West Pharmaceutical Services

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Flagship Harbor Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 3.7% in the third quarter. Flagship Harbor Advisors LLC now owns 1,091 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $286,000 after acquiring an additional 39 shares in the last quarter. NewEdge Wealth LLC boosted its stake in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 3.5% during the third quarter. NewEdge Wealth LLC now owns 1,174 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $333,000 after buying an additional 40 shares during the period. Darwin Wealth Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 10.8% during the fourth quarter. Darwin Wealth Management LLC now owns 410 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $113,000 after purchasing an additional 40 shares during the period. RFG Advisory LLC boosted its holdings in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 2.2% in the third quarter. RFG Advisory LLC now owns 2,233 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $586,000 after acquiring an additional 47 shares in the last quarter. Finally, CX Institutional increased its position in West Pharmaceutical Services by 5.4% during the 3rd quarter. CX Institutional now owns 939 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $246,000 after purchasing an additional 48 shares during the period. 93.90% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Key Headlines Impacting West Pharmaceutical Services

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

• Positive Sentiment: Citi initiated coverage with a Buy, providing an independent institutional endorsement that can support demand for the shares and reinforce confidence in West’s strategic positioning. West Pharmaceutical Services (WST) Gets a Buy from Citi
• Positive Sentiment: Zacks Research upgraded WST to a Strong-Buy (Zacks Rank #1) and raised earnings estimates across multiple quarters and fiscal years, signaling improved analyst expectations for revenue/profitability and providing a near-term catalyst for buy-side interest. All You Need to Know About West Pharmaceutical (WST) Rating Upgrade to Strong Buy
• Positive Sentiment: Product launch: West unveiled the Synchrony S1 prefillable syringe at Pharmapack 2026 — a move that targets biologics, vaccines and home-care use and could expand its addressable market in combination products and drug-delivery systems. WST Launches Synchrony S1 Prefillable Syringe at Pharmapack
• Neutral Sentiment: Analysis piece discusses West’s expansion into biologic syringe systems and whether that reshapes its combination‑product competitive edge — useful context for investors assessing long‑term growth but not an immediate earnings surprise. Does West Pharmaceutical (WST) Expanding Into Biologic Syringe Systems Reshape Its Combination-Product Edge?
• Neutral Sentiment: Zacks included WST on thematic lists (top medical-supply names and income-stock lists) — a visibility boost that may attract income and thematic investors but is less of an immediate price catalyst than upgrades or product news. 4 Medical Supply Stocks Poised to Gain

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.