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West Pharmaceutical Services
(NYSE:WST)
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Rating:79Outperform
Price Target:
$410.00
▲(49.78% Upside)
Action:Reiterated
Date:07/16/26
WST scores well on strong underlying fundamentals (especially the low-leverage balance sheet and solid profitability) and supportive technical momentum (price above key moving averages with positive MACD). The latest earnings call further strengthens the outlook with raised FY2026 guidance and continued margin expansion drivers. These positives are partially offset by a relatively expensive valuation (high P/E and low dividend yield).
Positive Factors
Conservative Balance Sheet
Very low leverage and a sizeable equity base provide durable financial flexibility: supports sustained capex, R&D and the $1B repurchase program while insulating the company from input cost shocks and enabling disciplined M&A or customer support through cyclical demand swings.
Negative Factors
Margin Sustainability
Although margins remain healthy, they have receded from prior peak levels. Persistent mix shifts, ramp costs and commodity pressure could cap operating margin upside and weigh on long-term ROE and free cash flow unless efficiencies or pricing fully offset these secular and structural cost pressures.
Read all positive and negative factors
Positive Factors
Negative Factors
Conservative Balance Sheet
Very low leverage and a sizeable equity base provide durable financial flexibility: supports sustained capex, R&D and the $1B repurchase program while insulating the company from input cost shocks and enabling disciplined M&A or customer support through cyclical demand swings.
Read all positive factors
West Pharmaceutical Services Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)
West Pharmaceutical Services (WST) vs. SPDR S&P 500 ETF (SPY)
Market Cap
$25.31B
Dividend Yield0.25%
Average Volume (3M)740.80K
Price to Earnings (P/E)46.9
Beta (1Y)0.76
Revenue Growth11.24%
EPS Growth17.11%
CountryUS
Employees10,800
SectorHealthcare
Sector Strength45
IndustryMedical - Instruments & Supplies
Share Statistics
EPS (TTM)7.52
Shares Outstanding70,647,600
10 Day Avg. Volume642,093
30 Day Avg. Volume740,804
Financial Highlights & Ratios
PEG Ratio33.99
Price to Book (P/B)6.26
Price to Sales (P/S)6.47
P/FCF Ratio42.42
Enterprise Value/Market Cap<0.01
Enterprise Value/Revenue<0.01
Enterprise Value/Gross Profit<0.01
Enterprise Value/Ebitda<0.01
Forecast
1Y Price Target
$399.63Price Target Upside45.99% Upside
Rating ConsensusStrong Buy
Number of Analyst Covering10
EPS Forecast (FY)8.62
Revenue Forecast (FY)$3.33B
West Pharmaceutical Services Business Overview & Revenue Model
Company Description
West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (WST) specializes in the development, manufacturing, and global distribution of essential containment and delivery solutions for injectable pharmaceuticals and other healthcare products. The company's operations ...
How the Company Makes Money
West primarily makes money by selling proprietary packaging and delivery components used by drug manufacturers to store and administer injectable medicines. A key revenue stream is the sale of elastomer components (e.g., stoppers, seals, and syrin...
West Pharmaceutical Services Earnings Call Summary
Earnings Call Date:Apr 23, 2026
(Q1-2026)
| % Change Since: |
Next Earnings Date:Jul 23, 2026
Earnings Call Sentiment Positive
The call reported broad-based, above-expectation Q1 results with strong revenue growth, substantial margin expansion and raised full-year guidance. Key growth engines—HVP components (including GLP-1s), biologics/NovaPure, Annex 1 conversions, and delivery devices—showed robust performance and underpin optimism. Near-term headwinds include a ~$40M CGM contract roll-off in H2, AR-driven cash flow timing effects, ramp-related margin variability and some commodity cost pressure, but management has mitigation plans and a strong balance sheet (including a new $1B buyback). Overall, positive operational execution and upgraded guidance outweigh the manageable challenges.Positive Updates
Strong Revenue and EPS Beat
Q1 revenue of $845 million, up 21% reported and ~15.3% organic year-over-year; Q1 adjusted EPS $2.13, up 47% YOY and ~45% above prior guidance midpoint.
Negative Updates
CGM Contract Roll-Off and Second-Half Headwind
A CGM contract exits in the back half of 2026, representing about a $40M headwind in H2, contributing to a more first-half weighted revenue profile for the year.
Read all updates
Q1-2026 Updates
Positive
Negative
Strong Revenue and EPS Beat
Q1 revenue of $845 million, up 21% reported and ~15.3% organic year-over-year; Q1 adjusted EPS $2.13, up 47% YOY and ~45% above prior guidance midpoint.
Read all positive updates
Company Guidance
Management raised full‑year 2026 guidance and provided detailed modeling assumptions: revenue is now expected to be $3.295–3.35 billion (organic growth 7%–9%; reported growth ~7.2%–9.0%), with adjusted diluted EPS of $8.40–$8.75 (up ~15%–20% year‑over‑year); HVP components are expected to grow low‑to‑mid teens organically and account for about 7 percentage points of company growth at the midpoint (GLP‑1 mid‑to‑high‑teens; non‑GLP‑1 low double‑digits contributing just over 5 points), Annex 1/HVP conversion is expected to add ~200 basis points in 2026, and the company assumes ~$7 million net interest income, a 19% full‑year tax rate, roughly 71.5 million diluted shares outstanding, and $250–$275 million of capital expenditures for the year; second‑quarter guidance is $830–$850 million revenue (reported +8.3%–10.9%; organic +7.0%–9.6%) and $2.05–$2.12 adjusted EPS (+11.4%–15.2% YoY). Management also noted SmartDose is expected to close midyear (SmartDose drove $55M in H2’25), the board authorized a $1 billion repurchase program (Q1 repurchases: 1.2M shares for $298M), Q1 ended with $521M cash, and commodity/oil pressures are expected to be a net single‑digit‑million headwind after mitigation.West Pharmaceutical Services Financial Statement Overview
Summary
Income Statement
78
Positive
Balance Sheet
90
Very Positive
Cash Flow
72
Positive
| Breakdown | TTM | Dec 2025 | Dec 2024 | Dec 2023 | Dec 2022 | Dec 2021 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Income Statement | ||||||
| Total Revenue | 3.22B | 3.07B | 2.89B | 2.95B | 2.89B | 2.83B |
| Gross Profit | 1.17B | 1.10B | 1.00B | 1.13B | 1.14B | 1.17B |
| EBITDA | 843.60M | 723.60M | 743.80M | 844.10M | 808.10M | 879.70M |
| Net Income | 542.70M | 493.70M | 492.70M | 593.40M | 585.90M | 661.80M |
Balance Sheet | ||||||
| Total Assets | 4.11B | 4.27B | 3.64B | 3.83B | 3.62B | 3.31B |
| Cash, Cash Equivalents and Short-Term Investments | 521.40M | 791.30M | 484.60M | 853.90M | 894.30M | 762.60M |
| Total Debt | 316.20M | 416.70M | 305.30M | 309.00M | 317.90M | 325.30M |
| Total Liabilities | 1.12B | 1.09B | 961.10M | 948.50M | 931.90M | 978.40M |
| Stockholders Equity | 2.99B | 3.18B | 2.68B | 2.88B | 2.68B | 2.34B |
Cash Flow | ||||||
| Free Cash Flow | 458.00M | 468.90M | 276.40M | 414.50M | 439.40M | 330.60M |
| Operating Cash Flow | 715.30M | 754.80M | 653.40M | 776.50M | 724.00M | 584.00M |
| Investing Cash Flow | -257.30M | -285.90M | -378.70M | -368.70M | -288.20M | -253.10M |
| Financing Cash Flow | -346.80M | -185.10M | -622.60M | -459.60M | -293.60M | -168.10M |
West Pharmaceutical Services Technical Analysis
Positive
273.73
Price Trends
332.36
Positive
297.02
Positive
281.21
Positive
Market Momentum
8.00
Positive
55.00
Neutral
48.70
Neutral
Evaluating momentum and price trends is crucial in stock analysis to make informed investment decisions. For WST, the sentiment is Positive. The current price of 273.73 is below the 20-day moving average (MA) of 353.82, below the 50-day MA of 332.36, and below the 200-day MA of 281.21, indicating a neutral trend. The MACD of 8.00 indicates Positive momentum. The RSI at 55.00 is Neutral, neither overbought nor oversold. The STOCH value of 48.70 is Neutral, not indicating any strong overbought or oversold conditions. Overall, these indicators collectively point to a Positive sentiment for WST.
West Pharmaceutical Services Risk Analysis
West Pharmaceutical Services disclosed 34 risk factors in its most recent earnings report. West Pharmaceutical Services reported the most risks in the "Legal & Regulatory" category.
Finance & Corporate - Financial and accounting risks. Risks related to the execution of corporate activity and strategy
Latest Risks Added 0 New Risks
West Pharmaceutical Services Peers Comparison
UnderperformOutperform
Sector (51)
Name | Overall Rating | Market Cap | P/E Ratio | ROE | Dividend Yield | Revenue Growth | EPS Growth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
79 Outperform | $25.31B | 46.85 | 17.87% | 0.32% | 11.24% | 17.11% | |
70 Outperform | $8.31B | 159.88 | 2.46% | ― | 17.36% | ― | |
57 Neutral | $13.99B | 60.67 | 2.84% | ― | 6.09% | -42.65% | |
55 Neutral | $8.46B | 21.98 | 14.33% | 1.50% | 8.95% | 6.13% | |
51 Neutral | $7.86B | -0.30 | -43.30% | 2.27% | 22.53% | -2.21% | |
49 Neutral | $11.68B | -10.51 | -16.43% | 2.75% | -4.79% | -78.01% |
* Healthcare Sector Average
WST
West Pharmaceutical Services
352.32
142.93
68.26%
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129.91
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COO
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RGEN
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145.49
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West Pharmaceutical Services Corporate Events
Business Operations and Strategy
West Pharmaceutical renews Daikyo technology and distribution pact
Positive
Jul 15, 2026
Effective July 14, 2026, West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. and Daikyo Seiko, Ltd. entered into an amended and restated technology exchange and cross-license agreement, along with two updated distributorship agreements, largely mirroring similar a...
Business Operations and StrategyExecutive/Board Changes
West Pharmaceutical Names Michel Lagarde Next CEO
Positive
Jun 1, 2026
West Pharmaceutical Services announced on June 1, 2026 that its board has appointed Michel Lagarde, a veteran healthcare and life sciences executive from Thermo Fisher Scientific and Patheon, as president and CEO and as a director effective August...
Executive/Board ChangesShareholder Meetings
West Pharmaceutical Shareholders Back Board, Pay and Auditor
Positive
May 5, 2026
West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. held its 2026 Annual Meeting of Shareholders virtually on May 4, 2026, with 91.83% of outstanding common shares represented. Shareholders elected eleven directors to serve until the 2027 Annual Meeting, reaffirmi...
Business Operations and StrategyStock BuybackFinancial Disclosures
West Pharmaceutical Raises 2026 Outlook After Strong Quarter
Positive
Apr 23, 2026
On April 23, 2026, West Pharmaceutical Services reported a strong start to 2026, with first-quarter net sales rising 21.0% year over year to $844.9 million and organic growth of 15.3%, while diluted EPS jumped 56.1% to $1.92 and adjusted-diluted E...
Glossary
BuyA stock rated as a "Buy" is expected to perform better than the overall market or a specific benchmark over the near-to-medium term. This rating suggests the stock is likely to deliver higher returns compared to other stocks in the same sector or market index. Note: This is not investment advice; please consult a financial advisor before making investment decisions.
HoldA stock rated as a "Hold" is expected to perform in line with the overall market or a specific benchmark. This rating indicates that the stock is neither particularly compelling nor unfavorable for investment. Note: This is not investment advice; please consult a financial advisor before making investment decisions.
SellA stock rated as a "Sell" is expected to perform worse than the overall market or a specific benchmark over the near-to-medium term. This rating suggests the stock may deliver lower returns compared to other stocks in the same sector or market index. Note: This is not investment advice; please consult a financial advisor before making investment decisions.
Disclaimer
This AI Analyst Stock Report is automatically generated by our AI systems using advanced algorithms and publicly available financial, technical, and market data. While the information provided aims to be accurate and insightful, it is intended for informational purposes only and should not be considered financial advice. Any content created by an AI (Artificial Intelligence) system may contain inaccuracies and/or contain errors. Investing in stocks carries inherent risks, and past performance is not indicative of future results. This report does not account for your personal financial circumstances, objectives, or risk tolerance. Always conduct your own research or consult with a qualified financial advisor before making investment decisions. The analysis and recommendations provided are based on historical and current data and may not fully reflect future market conditions or unexpected developments. Neither the creators of this report nor its affiliated entities guarantee the accuracy, completeness, or reliability of the information presented. Use this report at your own discretion and risk.