West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. research snapshot
WST AI stock analysis as of the August 2, 2026 data cutoff reads West Pharmaceutical Services as a high-quality supplier of injectable drug containment, elastomer components, self-injection devices, and contract manufacturing services. At the July 31, 2026 close, WST traded at $340.96, and the market cap check produced $24.00 billion using 70.38 million shares with a 0.01% deviation. The Q2 2026 report, released July 23, 2026, delivered net sales of $872.3 million, up 13.8% reported and 12.7% organic, with diluted EPS of $2.15, up 18.1%, and adjusted diluted EPS of $2.37, up 28.8%. Management raised full-year 2026 net sales guidance to $3.345 billion to $3.380 billion and adjusted diluted EPS guidance to $8.85 to $9.05. High-Value Product Components now represent 49% of company revenue, up from 46% a year ago, and grew 18.4% organically. The caution is valuation: WST trades near 43.7x trailing EPS and about 54.9x trailing free cash flow per share, so the WST AI stock forecast needs continued HVP mix, biologics and GLP-1 demand, margin expansion, and customer stability.
Current price
$340.96 at the July 31, 2026 close
Market cap
$24.00 billion verified market cap
AI score
75 / 100
Rating
High-quality injectable packaging and drug delivery supplier with a Q2 beat, raised 2026 guidance, GLP-1 and biologics exposure, customer concentration, and premium valuation risk
Trend status
Constructive long-term trend with price above the 50-day and 200-day averages, but below the 20-day average with neutral short-term momentum
Data cutoff (updated monthly)
August 4, 2026
Informational use only. This page is not investment advice.
| Dimension | Conclusion | Confidence |
|---|---|---|
| Business quality | West sells mission-critical injectable packaging, elastomer components, containment systems, self-injection device platforms, and West Vantage contract manufacturing services to drug developers and pharmaceutical companies. | High |
| Moat | The moat comes from regulatory qualification, product quality, customer validation, switching costs, process know-how, scale, proprietary high-value components, the Daikyo partnership, and long relationships with injectable drug makers. | High |
| Management | Eric Green is retiring and Michel Lagarde, a former Thermo Fisher executive, becomes President and CEO on August 31, 2026. Management raised 2026 guidance, completed the SmartDose 3.5mL sale, renewed the Daikyo agreement, and executed a $1 billion buyback. | Medium-high |
| Financial trend | Q2 2026 net sales were $872.3 million, up 13.8% reported and 12.7% organic, with gross margin of 37.7%, adjusted operating margin of 22.6%, diluted EPS of $2.15, and adjusted diluted EPS of $2.37. | High |
| Valuation | At $340.96, audited math shows about 43.7x TTM EPS, 54.9x TTM free cash flow per share, 8.0x book value, and 7.2x sales per share. The valuation requires sustained execution. | High |
| Technical trend | Technical readings are constructive but mixed: price is above the 50-day and 200-day averages and below the 20-day average, RSI is neutral near 47, while MACD was cited as bearish by a technical data provider. | Medium |
| Risk level | Key risks include customer concentration, the May 2026 cyber incident, West Vantage underperformance, injectable inventory cycles, GLP-1 demand normalization, CEO transition execution, quality or regulatory failures, and multiple compression. | Medium-high |
| AI confidence | Descriptive confidence is high because filings and data services align on the core base. Return confidence is lower because WST depends on future growth, customer mix, cyber recovery durability, and a premium valuation. | High data confidence |
| Investment certainty | WST is a high-quality life science supplier, but the current price leaves limited room for another demand, inventory, cyber, or guidance disappointment. | Medium |
WST AI stock forecast
The WST AI stock forecast uses the $340.96 price reference, the FY2026 adjusted EPS consensus estimate of $8.96, and a three-year earnings multiple framework. The audited model produced a bearish value near $282, a base value near $405, and a bullish value near $545 before dividends. These are scenario ranges, not promises.
$520 to $565
More likely if HVP Components keep growing near high teens, non-GLP-1 biologics and biosimilars continue to drive demand, GLP-1 elastomers stay strong, adjusted operating margin keeps expanding beyond 2026 guidance of over 200 basis points, and investors hold WST near a premium 40x forward earnings multiple.
$390 to $425
More likely if adjusted EPS compounds around 10% per year, FY2026 adjusted EPS of $8.85 to $9.05 is met, the SmartDose divestiture and cyber recovery play out as guided, free cash flow remains healthy, and the stock holds a mid-30s forward earnings multiple.
$265 to $300
More likely if GLP-1 demand or HVP mix disappoints, one large customer reduces orders, the cyber recovery stalls or another event hits West Vantage, quality or regulatory costs rise, the CEO transition causes disruption, or WST re-rates toward a lower medical-supplies multiple.
WST AI technical analysis
WST AI technical analysis uses market and technical data available at the August 2, 2026 cutoff. StockAnalysis showed WST at $340.96 at the July 31, 2026 close with a 50-day moving average near $338.19 and a 200-day moving average near $284.89. Barchart showed a 20-day moving average near $350.79, a 100-day moving average near $305.57, 14-day RSI near 46.99, and 14-day ADX near 19.42. AltIndex showed a neutral overall signal with 3 buy, 3 neutral, and 3 sell signals, a 50-day moving average near $346.50, a 200-day moving average near $289.20, and bearish MACD, so technical levels should be treated as provider-specific snapshots.
| Level | Value | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| Current price | $340.96 | StockAnalysis.com real-time quote at the July 31, 2026 close; market cap math uses 70.38 million shares outstanding. |
| Near support | $337 to $339 | Area around the 50-day moving average near $338.19 on StockAnalysis and $338.18 on Barchart, a natural first pullback support zone. |
| Deeper support | $305 to $310 | Area around the 100-day moving average near $305.57 on Barchart, where a pullback would test whether the medium-term recovery remains intact. |
| Long-term support | $284 to $289 | Area around the 200-day moving average near $284.89 on StockAnalysis and Barchart and $289.20 on AltIndex, important for the longer-term trend. |
| Near resistance | $348 to $352 | Area around the 20-day moving average near $350.79 on Barchart and $348.20 on AltIndex. A close above this range would need volume confirmation. |
| Major resistance | $362 to $386 | AltIndex cites resistance near $362.44 from six months of price data, and the 52-week high of $386.00 sits above that as the stronger test. |
| Moving averages | 20-day about $350.79, 50-day about $338.18, 100-day about $305.57, 200-day about $284.89 | The 50-day moving average above the 200-day average is constructive, but price below the 20-day average signals a short-term cooling off. |
| Momentum | RSI near 47, ADX near 19, MACD bearish | 14-day RSI near 46.99 on StockAnalysis and Barchart and 45.2 on AltIndex is neutral, not overbought. MACD bearish on AltIndex argues against treating the chart as a one-way trend. |
| Volume | 20-day average near 845,900 shares | StockAnalysis lists 20-day average volume near 845,900 shares and Barchart near 852,085, useful for checking breakout quality above resistance. |
| Volatility | 14-day ATR near $10.53, historical volatility near 36.9% | Barchart reported 14-day average true range near $10.53 and 14-day historical volatility near 36.94%, so position sizing should account for wider swings. |
| Invalidation | Sustained close below $305 | A durable break below the 100-day zone near $305.57 would weaken the recovery setup and shift attention to the 200-day trend line near $285 and valuation reset risk. |
WST AI trading strategy
The WST AI trading strategy below is a rules-based research framework, not personalized advice. It connects price action with HVP Components growth, biologics and GLP-1 demand, Q3 2026 guidance, the SmartDose divestiture, cyber recovery, buyback support, CEO transition, customer concentration, and valuation discipline.
Watch for WST to reclaim and hold above the 20-day moving average near $350 to $352 and build volume on a move toward the $362 to $386 resistance zone, while Q3 results confirm net sales guidance of $820 million to $835 million and adjusted EPS of $2.14 to $2.24.
A failed reclaim after earnings, a close back below $338, weaker HVP growth, slower biologics or GLP-1 demand, or margin commentary that challenges the raised 2026 guide should reduce trend-following confidence.
If WST pulls back toward $305 to $310 without a thesis break, compare the lower price with updated 2026 EPS guidance, free cash flow per share, customer demand, GLP-1 order visibility, cyber recovery progress, and peer medical-supplies multiples.
Do not treat a lower price as automatically attractive if the pullback is caused by a major customer loss, a cyber or quality issue, West Vantage weakness, inventory correction, or a lower earnings guide.
Track HVP Components sales, HVP Delivery Devices sales, West Vantage recovery, gross margin, adjusted operating margin, cash conversion, capex, share repurchases, dividends, the SmartDose sale timing, the CEO transition, and the percentage of sales from the largest customers.
Position sizing should reflect that WST is a strong business with a high multiple. Even good companies can fall sharply when expectations reset.
Investment research summary
Customers pay West because injectable medicines need validated containment, delivery, component quality, and manufacturing reliability. Once a drug is approved with qualified components, switching suppliers can be slow, costly, and risky.
The moat is built on regulatory qualification, product science, quality systems, customer validation, manufacturing scale, high-value elastomer components, self-injection device know-how, the Daikyo partnership, and long pharmaceutical development cycles.
The thesis fails if GLP-1 demand slows, HVP mix growth reverts, one large customer changes sourcing, the May 2026 cyber incident leads to lasting West Vantage damage, a quality issue hurts trust, the CEO transition disrupts execution, or the premium valuation compresses faster than EPS grows.
Management has focused on high-value product mix, global capacity, disciplined capex, dividends, buybacks, portfolio focus, and raised 2026 guidance. The test is whether the incoming CEO sustains the mix-led growth and returns after the stock recovered from its 2025 guidance reset.
Injectable biologics, GLP-1 therapies, biosimilars, self-injection, sterile drug delivery, and pharmaceutical outsourcing support long-term demand. The offset is that customer inventory cycles, product concentration, and cyber or quality events can create sharp earnings revisions.
At $340.96, WST is priced as a premium compounder, not a deep-value stock. The three-scenario model shows limited base-case upside unless EPS growth and a high earnings multiple both persist.
Source-backed data
Every metric below includes a source and last verification date.
| Metric | Value | Source | Last verified |
|---|---|---|---|
| Current price reference | $340.96 at the July 31, 2026 close, up 0.40% on the day | StockAnalysis.com WST quote | August 2, 2026 |
| Market capitalization verification | $24.00 billion calculated from $340.96 x 70.38 million shares with 0.01% deviation | Pineify financial_rigor.py market cap verification | August 2, 2026 |
| Shares outstanding | 70.38 million shares outstanding, 70.4 million at June 30, 2026, down from 72.0 million at December 31, 2025 | StockAnalysis.com statistics and West Q2 2026 release | August 2, 2026 |
| Q2 2026 net sales | $872.3 million, up 13.8% reported and 12.7% organic, cross-validated across West release and StockAnalysis | West Q2 2026 results | July 23, 2026 |
| Q2 2026 EPS | Diluted EPS of $2.15, up 18.1%, and adjusted diluted EPS of $2.37, up 28.8% | West Q2 2026 results | July 23, 2026 |
| Q2 2026 margins | Gross margin of 37.7%, up 200 basis points, adjusted operating margin of 22.6%, up 230 basis points, and reported operating margin of 20.5% | West Q2 2026 results and earnings call | July 23, 2026 |
| H1 2026 results | Net sales of $1,717.2 million, net income of $292.8 million, diluted EPS of $4.07, and adjusted diluted EPS of $4.50 | West Q2 2026 results | July 23, 2026 |
| FY2026 guidance raised | Net sales of $3.345 billion to $3.380 billion, up 8.8% to 10.0% reported and 10.0% to 11.0% organic, and adjusted diluted EPS of $8.85 to $9.05, raised from $8.40 to $8.75 | West Q2 2026 results | July 23, 2026 |
| Q3 2026 guidance | Net sales of $820 million to $835 million, up 1.9% to 3.8% reported and 7.0% to 8.9% organic, and adjusted diluted EPS of $2.14 to $2.24 | West Q2 2026 results | July 23, 2026 |
| Q2 2026 segment detail | Proprietary Products up 15.5% organic, HVP Components up 18.4% organic at 49% of sales, HVP Delivery Devices up 29.2% organic at 15% of sales, Standard Products up 0.7% organic at 19% of sales, West Vantage up 0.8% organic at 17% of sales | West Q2 2026 results and earnings call | July 23, 2026 |
| Q2 2026 market group detail | Biologics up 29.2% organic, Generics up 6.7% organic, Pharma up 1.6% organic, and Asia Pacific up 27% organic with double-digit growth across all three geographies | West Q2 2026 results and earnings call | July 23, 2026 |
| TTM revenue and net income | TTM revenue of $3.327 billion, up 12.4%, and TTM net income of $564.90 million with EPS of $7.81, up 16.8% | StockAnalysis.com statistics and financials | August 2, 2026 |
| TTM cash flow | TTM operating cash flow of $662.2 million, capital expenditures of $225.3 million, and free cash flow of $436.9 million, or $6.21 per share | StockAnalysis.com statistics | August 2, 2026 |
| Balance sheet June 30, 2026 | Cash and cash equivalents of $435.8 million, long-term debt of $202.9 million, net cash of $119.3 million, total assets of $4.076 billion, and total equity of $2.990 billion | West Q2 2026 release and StockAnalysis.com balance sheet | July 23, 2026 |
| Share repurchases | H1 2026 repurchases of 1.8 million shares for $454.3 million at an average price of $258.03 under the $1 billion program authorized February 17, 2026 | West Q2 2026 release and 2025 Form 10-K | July 23, 2026 |
| Dividend | Annual dividend of $0.88 per share, a 0.26% yield, 33 years of dividend growth, and a Q3 2026 dividend of $0.22 declared July 21, 2026 | StockAnalysis.com dividends and West release | August 2, 2026 |
| Customer concentration | The ten largest customers accounted for 47.6% of 2025 consolidated net sales, with one customer at 15.8% or $485.9 million | West 2025 Form 10-K | August 2, 2026 |
| SmartDose 3.5mL sale | Completed the sale and transfer of SmartDose 3.5mL manufacturing and supply rights to AbbVie on July 1, 2026, with $55 million in net sales in H2 2025 and $30 million in Q3 2025 excluded from organic growth | West Q2 2026 results | July 23, 2026 |
| CEO transition | Michel Lagarde, a former Thermo Fisher Scientific executive, becomes President and CEO on August 31, 2026, succeeding Eric Green | West appointment release and Reuters | June 1, 2026 |
| Valuation check | 43.66x trailing PE, 36.73x forward PE, 7.21x sales, 8.03x book value, 54.92x free cash flow, and a 2.43 PEG ratio | Pineify financial_rigor.py and StockAnalysis.com statistics | August 2, 2026 |
| FY2026 and FY2027 consensus estimates | FY2026 revenue estimate of $3.37B with adjusted EPS of $8.96, and FY2027 revenue of $3.58B with adjusted EPS of $9.94 | StockAnalysis.com forecast | July 27, 2026 |
| Analyst consensus | Strong Buy with an average target of $403.93 across 16 analysts, low $340 and high $459, median $410 | StockAnalysis.com forecast | July 27, 2026 |
| Recent analyst target updates | Evercore ISI raised to $425 from $410, BofA reiterated $410, Barclays maintained $400, TD Cowen raised to $410 from $365, BNP Paribas initiated at $447, and Morgan Stanley raised to $365 from $325 | StockAnalysis.com forecast and TipRanks via TheFly | July 27, 2026 |
| Short interest | 2.36 million shares short, 3.35% of shares outstanding, and 2.90 days to cover | StockAnalysis.com statistics short selling | August 2, 2026 |
| Technical snapshot | 50-day moving average near $338.19, 200-day moving average near $284.89, 14-day RSI near 46.99, and 20-day average volume near 845,900 shares | StockAnalysis.com and Barchart technical snapshots | August 2, 2026 |
This WST AI stock analysis page is an informational research tool only. It is not investment advice, a recommendation, or a promise of future performance. Forecast scenarios are based on available public data as of August 2, 2026 and can be wrong if fundamentals, guidance, valuation, technical conditions, customer demand, or market sentiment change.
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