While West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc has overperformed by 0.96%, investors are advised to look at stock chart patterns for technical insight. Within its last year performance, WST fell by -35.13%, with highs and lows ranging from $400.88 to $197.01, whereas the simple moving average fell by -24.86% in the last 200 days.
On February 14, 2025, Deutsche Bank Upgraded West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc (NYSE: WST) to Buy. A report published by Citigroup on January 08, 2025, Initiated its previous ‘Buy’ rating for WST. UBS December 12, 2024d the rating to Buy on December 12, 2024, and set its price target from $350 to $390. Jefferies February 07, 2024d its ‘Hold’ rating to ‘Buy’ for WST, as published in its report on February 07, 2024. BofA Securities’s report from June 16, 2023 suggests a price prediction of $405 for WST shares, giving the stock a ‘Buy’ rating. Stephens also rated the stock as ‘Overweight’.
Analysis of West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc (WST)
Investors in West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc will get a return regardless of how the company performs over the next quarter since the company’s dividend stands at $0.82 per share. Further, the quarter-over-quarter increase in sales is 2.24%, showing a positive trend in the upcoming months.
One of the most important indicators of West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc’s future performance is equity, which can be evaluated using several well-rounded types of analysis and research techniques. The goal here is to ensure that your current return on equity of 17.71% is sufficient for you to turn a profit off your investment. Taking into account the quick ratio of the company, currently set at 2.11, you can see that the company can cover any debts it may have, which can easily be seen in the annual report of the company.
For any stock, average volume can also provide valuable insight into volatility, and WST is recording 846.08K average volume. On a monthly basis, the volatility of the stock is set at 4.89%, whereas on a weekly basis, it is put at 3.78%, with a gain of 4.58% over the past seven days. Furthermore, long-term investors anticipate a median target price of $276.00, showing growth from the present price of $232.76, which can serve as yet another indication of whether WST is worth investing in or should be passed over.
How Do You Analyze West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc Shares?
The Medical Instruments & Supplies market is dominated by West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc (WST) based in the USA. When comparing West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc shares with other companies under Healthcare, the P/E value is an influential factor to note. This is because it represents an indication of the future growth of the company in terms of investors’ expectations. Ultimately, the value of the latter should demonstrate steady, rapid growth, which is an accurate measure of the company’s progress. In addition to the value of 34.79, there is a growth in quarterly earnings of -2.84%.
Along with the fundamentals, it is also important to consider how many employees own shares of the company. This is because the values should be in line with investors’ expectations. As such, the current holdings of company stock inside the company are set at 0.59%. This can enable you to see the extent to which executives own the company’s stock. As opposed to executive stock, institutional ownership accounts for 97.15% of the company’s shares, contributing to an indication of company value, since large shareholders may signify strength within the organization.
WST shares are owned by institutional investors to the tune of 97.15% at present.