Vanguard Group Inc. Buys 388,144 Shares of West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. $WST

Vanguard Group Inc. raised its stake in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST) by 4.2% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 9,704,948 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after purchasing an additional 388,144 shares during the period. Vanguard Group Inc. owned 13.49% of West Pharmaceutical Services worth $2,545,899,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. CYBER HORNET ETFs LLC bought a new stake in West Pharmaceutical Services during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $25,000. Vermillion & White Wealth Management Group LLC increased its stake in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 193.9% in the second quarter. Vermillion & White Wealth Management Group LLC now owns 144 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $32,000 after purchasing an additional 95 shares in the last quarter. SJS Investment Consulting Inc. raised its position in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 1,842.9% during the 3rd quarter. SJS Investment Consulting Inc. now owns 136 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $36,000 after purchasing an additional 129 shares during the period. CVA Family Office LLC lifted its stake in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 573.3% during the 2nd quarter. CVA Family Office LLC now owns 202 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $44,000 after buying an additional 172 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Pilgrim Partners Asia Pte Ltd bought a new position in West Pharmaceutical Services in the 3rd quarter worth $47,000. 93.90% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts recently issued reports on WST shares. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reissued a “buy” rating and set a $315.00 target price on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in a research note on Friday, February 13th. Evercore dropped their target price on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services from $390.00 to $320.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, February 3rd. Morgan Stanley began coverage on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in a report on Monday, December 1st. They issued an “equal weight” rating and a $285.00 price target on the stock. Jefferies Financial Group reissued a “buy” rating and set a $295.00 price objective on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in a report on Tuesday, February 10th. Finally, UBS Group restated a “buy” rating and set a $340.00 price objective on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in a research report on Friday, February 13th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have issued a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $314.56.

West Pharmaceutical Services Stock Performance

NYSE:WST opened at $243.36 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $17.53 billion, a PE ratio of 35.84, a PEG ratio of 2.63 and a beta of 1.18. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $259.15 and its 200 day moving average is $261.58. West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $187.43 and a fifty-two week high of $322.34. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.06, a quick ratio of 2.34 and a current ratio of 3.02.

West Pharmaceutical Services (NYSE:WST) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 12th. The medical instruments supplier reported $2.04 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.83 by $0.21. The business had revenue of $805.00 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $795.70 million. West Pharmaceutical Services had a net margin of 16.06% and a return on equity of 17.90%. The business’s revenue was up 7.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $1.82 earnings per share. West Pharmaceutical Services has set its FY 2026 guidance at 7.850-8.200 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. will post 6.62 earnings per share for the current year.

West Pharmaceutical Services Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, May 6th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, April 29th will be given a dividend of $0.22 per share. This represents a $0.88 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.4%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, April 29th. West Pharmaceutical Services’s payout ratio is 12.96%.

West Pharmaceutical Services declared that its board has initiated a share buyback plan on Tuesday, February 17th that allows the company to buyback $1.00 billion in shares. This buyback authorization allows the medical instruments supplier to buy up to 5.6% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback plans are generally an indication that the company’s leadership believes its shares are undervalued.

West Pharmaceutical Services Profile

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.