The framework reads accumulation. Smart money appears to be quietly building positions. This typically precedes a markup phase. Price has moved down 0.0% since our last review. Ethical screening: PASS with strong ethical credentials. The risk-adjusted return profile shows modest positive risk-adjusted returns. Our composite framework grades it C, carrying a low risk profile. Technically it is momentum reading neutral. Over the past year the shares are up 46%. Our forward projection puts the odds of a 10% gain over the next month near 26%. The street (13 analysts) rates it buy, with a mean price target of $350.
West Pharmaceutical Services WST
Clears both ethical standards
An entry written while the outcome is still unknown. It will be scored by what the market does next, and it will never be edited to look cleverer than it was.
In plain words · West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc.
read at $337.00
West Pharmaceutical Services holds its Markup at $337.00.
- PHPhase · the trend structure carries the Markup label
- INInsiders · no filings inside 60 days, left as found
- POPositioning · no disclosures inside 60 days, left as found
- OPOptions · no verdict drawn today, left as found
- SCScreen · passes the values gate
- edge confirmed
- edge broken
- edge forming
Each arm is one independent read. Conviction is not a single call, it is how many edges converge.
The investor read · the season, not the day
| Phase | Markup |
| Quantitative state | The statistical read favours the sellers, held for 22 days |
| Price | $337.00 |
| Valuation | 42.39 trailing · 33.91 forward price to earnings |
| Values screen | PASS · score 85.8 |
| Beta | 1.16 |
The opportunity · what the numbers say it is worth
Our framework reads OVERVALUED — it trades above our $314.32 fair value estimate, moderate competitive moat, 13.80% revenue growth.
Price history & projections · where it has been, where the models see it going
The valuation journey · where the price sits against fair value and the Street
Green marks levels above today's price, red below; the shaded band is the gap between the price and our fair value.
Reading the gap · Our more conservative model reads it as fully-to-richly valued here, while the Street is more bullish — a quality-at-a-fair-price name rather than a deep-value one.
| Revenue growth | 13.80% |
| Profit margin | 16.98% |
| Debt to equity | 10.59 |
| Analyst consensus | Strong Buy · 15 covering |
Fair value and rating are our own model estimates; target range reflects third-party analyst estimates. Analysis, not advice.
The values screen, explained · five checks, plain English
This company clears both standards. There are two widely recognised ways to check whether a company is suitable for a Muslim investor. Here is how it did on each:
Used by most halal investing apps ✓ PASSES
The one Titan applies ✓ PASSES
What these two standards are, and how they differ →
- Business activity Its core business isn't built on prohibited lines — no gambling, alcohol, tobacco, weapons, or interest-based lending. Pass
- Debt load Interest-bearing debt is just 7.5% of its assets, well under the one-third ceiling — it does not run on borrowed money. Pass
- Interest-bearing cash Cash held in interest-bearing accounts and securities is 5.0% of assets, under the one-third limit. Pass
- Receivables Money owed to the company is 32.0% of assets, under the 49% limit. Pass
- Revenue purity Only 0.6% of revenue comes from non-compliant sources — under the 5% line. Pass
Every security is read against two recognised standards: our stricter asset-based screen (ratios measured against total assets) and the more widely used market-value standard (measured against market capitalisation). Where they agree we say so plainly; where they part ways — almost always on the debt check — we show both readings and mark it, because that disagreement is the finding, not a fault. We report the score; you and your scholar make the call.
The business, in plain words · what the numbers mean
The quiet supplier behind every safe injection
Every time a biologic reaches a patient, it travels inside packaging that must not fail. West Pharmaceutical Services builds those vials and delivery systems across the Americas, Europe and Asia, posting 21% revenue growth, 17% profit margins and 19% ROE.
Those results are respectable, yet the shares sit 16% above our fair value at a 37 times forward earnings multiple. The market is already paying for strong growth that may not repeat at the same pace, leaving the stock overvalued on plain numbers.
A moderate moat and clean ethical screen reduce some concerns, but high valuation still leaves investors exposed if drug spending slows or input costs rise. Analysis, not advice.
| Forward P/E | 33.9x expensive even after accounting for its growth |
| Trailing P/E | 42.4x expensive — the price assumes strong growth ahead |
| Revenue growth | 13.8% steady growth |
| Profit margin | 17.0% healthy profit margins |
| Return on equity | 19.1% a solid return on shareholder capital |
| Debt to equity | 0.11 minimal debt — a conservative balance sheet |
| Current ratio | 2.82 comfortably covers its short-term bills |
| Beta | 1.16 moves a little more than the market |
| Market cap | $23.7B |
| Employees | 10,800 |
The risks · The main risks here are ordinary market swings and the chance our fair-value read proves too optimistic.
Plain-English interpretation of our own screen data. Analysis, not advice.
Latest news · what the market is reading on WST
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- › XLP's Future Earnings Outlook Is Tilting Up Trefis · 16d ago
Headlines from third-party outlets, linked for reference — not our reporting, not advice.
Related securities · others in WST's space worth a look
Screened names in the same industry · explore each on its own page.
Where & how to trade · wherever in the world you are
WST trades on a US exchange. As a US-listed security it is accessible through almost any international broker offering US markets. New to this, or investing from outside the US? Our guide to accessing global markets covers brokers, currencies and the practical steps.
The trader read · the latest dated commentary
The dated journal · newest first, never edited
The framework reads accumulation. Smart money appears to be quietly building positions. This typically precedes a markup phase. Price has moved down 0.0% since our last review. Ethical screening: PASS with strong ethical credentials. The risk-adjusted return profile shows modest positive risk-adjusted returns.
The framework reads accumulation. Smart money appears to be quietly building positions. This typically precedes a markup phase. Ethical screening: PASS with strong ethical credentials. The risk-adjusted return profile shows modest positive risk-adjusted returns.
Each entry above was written on its date, before the outcome. A journal you can prune is not a journal.
The insider ledger · Form 4 filings, as filed
| Date | Insider | Title | Type | Shares | Value |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-05-12 | CAMPBELL SHANE ALDEN | Officer | 769 | · | |
| 2026-05-04 | LOCKHART STEPHEN H | Director | 791 | · | |
| 2026-05-04 | KELLER DEBORAH L | Director | 791 | · | |
| 2026-05-04 | JOSEPH MOLLY E. | Director | 791 | · | |
| 2026-05-04 | FEEHERY WILLIAM F. | Director | 791 | · | |
| 2026-05-04 | MICHELS DOUGLAS A | Director | 791 | · | |
| 2026-05-04 | PUCCI PAOLO | Director | 791 | · | |
| 2026-05-04 | BUTHMAN MARK A | Director | 791 | · | |
| 2026-05-04 | FRIEL ROBERT F | Director | 791 | · | |
| 2026-05-04 | HAUGEN JANET BRUTSCHEA | Director | 791 | · |
Public filings, recorded as found. The full tape lives at Insider Intelligence.
What holding actually paid · price plus dividends
| Period | Price then | Price return | Divs per share | $1,000 became | Total return |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 month | $322.30 | +2.7% | · | $1,027 | +2.7% |
| 2 months | $256.36 | +29.1% | $0.22 | $1,292 | +29.2% |
| 3 months | $230.92 | +43.3% | $0.22 | $1,434 | +43.4% |
| 6 months | $272.09 | +21.6% | $0.44 | $1,218 | +21.8% |
| 1 year | $226.95 | +45.8% | $0.87 | $1,462 | +46.2% |
| 2 years | $317.88 | +4.1% | $1.70 | $1,046 | +4.6% |
| 3 years | $345.37 | -4.2% | $2.49 | $965 | -3.5% |
| 5 years | $340.89 | -2.9% | $3.95 | $982 | -1.8% |
Historical returns from market close data. Past performance does not guarantee future results.