West Pharmaceutical Services (NYSE:WST) Updates Q3 2026 Earnings Guidance

Posted by Brenda Bartman on Jul 24th, 2026

West Pharmaceutical Services (NYSE:WST – Get Free Report) issued an update on its third quarter 2026 earnings guidance on Thursday morning. The company provided earnings per share guidance of 2.140-2.240 for the period, compared to the consensus estimate of 2.130. The company issued revenue guidance of $820.0 million-$835.0 million, compared to the consensus revenue estimate of $815.1 million. West Pharmaceutical Services also updated its FY 2026 guidance to 8.850-9.050 EPS.

Analyst Ratings Changes

WST has been the subject of several analyst reports. Morgan Stanley upped their price objective on West Pharmaceutical Services from $325.00 to $365.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Thursday, July 9th. Wolfe Research started coverage on West Pharmaceutical Services in a report on Monday, June 1st. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $375.00 price target for the company. Zacks Research raised shares of West Pharmaceutical Services from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, May 13th. BNP Paribas Exane initiated coverage on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in a report on Monday, July 13th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $447.00 target price for the company. Finally, Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of West Pharmaceutical Services from a “hold (c-)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a research note on Monday, April 27th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $363.17.

View Our Latest Report on West Pharmaceutical Services

West Pharmaceutical Services Price Performance

Shares of NYSE WST opened at $355.25 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 2.71, a quick ratio of 2.04 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.07. West Pharmaceutical Services has a twelve month low of $223.83 and a twelve month high of $386.00. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $336.51 and a two-hundred day moving average of $287.14. The stock has a market cap of $25.10 billion, a P/E ratio of 47.49, a P/E/G ratio of 2.90 and a beta of 1.16.

West Pharmaceutical Services (NYSE:WST – Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, July 23rd. The medical instruments supplier reported $2.37 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.08 by $0.29. The business had revenue of $872.30 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $839.98 million. West Pharmaceutical Services had a net margin of 16.85% and a return on equity of 19.03%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 13.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm posted $1.84 earnings per share. West Pharmaceutical Services has set its Q3 2026 guidance at 2.140-2.240 EPS and its FY 2026 guidance at 8.850-9.050 EPS. On average, research analysts forecast that West Pharmaceutical Services will post 8.6 earnings per share for the current year.

West Pharmaceutical Services Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, August 5th. Investors of record on Wednesday, July 29th will be given a $0.22 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, July 29th. This represents a $0.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.2%. West Pharmaceutical Services’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 11.76%.

Insider Activity at West Pharmaceutical Services

In other West Pharmaceutical Services news, CAO Chad Winters sold 896 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, April 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $300.67, for a total transaction of $269,400.32. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer directly owned 1,523 shares in the company, valued at approximately $457,920.41. This represents a 37.04% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, VP Annette F. Favorite sold 2,817 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, April 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $305.20, for a total transaction of $859,748.40. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president directly owned 16,828 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,135,905.60. This trade represents a 14.34% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. 0.60% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Key Stories Impacting West Pharmaceutical Services

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

Positive Sentiment: West Pharmaceutical beat Q2 estimates on both earnings and revenue, reporting $2.37 EPS versus $2.08 expected and $872.3 million in sales versus $840.0 million expected. West Reports Second-Quarter 2026 Results
Positive Sentiment: The company lifted full-year 2026 guidance, now projecting EPS of $8.85-$9.05 and revenue of $3.3 billion-$3.4 billion, both above prior expectations. Reuters article on raised annual forecast
Positive Sentiment: Management highlighted strong HVP growth and momentum from GLP-1 and biologics-related demand, suggesting the growth trend may continue into the back half of the year. TipRanks guidance summary
Neutral Sentiment: West also issued modestly ahead Q3 guidance, with EPS of $2.14-$2.24 and revenue of $820 million-$835 million, reinforcing the view that performance remains solid rather than signaling a dramatic acceleration.
Negative Sentiment: Earlier coverage had suggested the stock looked expensive relative to fair value, so some investors may still worry the rally leaves limited upside if growth slows. Yahoo Finance article on valuation

Institutional Investors Weigh In On West Pharmaceutical Services

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the company. Generation Investment Management LLP increased its position in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 60.0% in the fourth quarter. Generation Investment Management LLP now owns 1,561,869 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $429,733,000 after buying an additional 585,855 shares in the last quarter. T. Rowe Price Investment Management Inc. raised its holdings in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 67.5% in the fourth quarter. T. Rowe Price Investment Management Inc. now owns 1,174,962 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $323,280,000 after acquiring an additional 473,547 shares during the last quarter. Steadfast Capital Management LP acquired a new stake in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services during the third quarter valued at $123,667,000. AQR Capital Management LLC increased its position in West Pharmaceutical Services by 420.1% during the 3rd quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 545,879 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $142,949,000 after purchasing an additional 440,929 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Viking Global Investors LP purchased a new stake in West Pharmaceutical Services during the 4th quarter worth about $81,174,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 93.90% of the company’s stock.

About West Pharmaceutical Services

(Get Free Report)

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.