West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. $WST Shares Purchased by Korea Investment CORP

Korea Investment CORP boosted its position in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST) by 129.3% during the 3rd quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor owned 56,097 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after acquiring an additional 31,635 shares during the period. Korea Investment CORP’s holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services were worth $14,716,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other large investors have also modified their holdings of WST. HUB Investment Partners LLC purchased a new stake in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services during the 3rd quarter worth about $203,000. Modern Wealth Management LLC raised its holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services by 4.2% in the 3rd quarter. Modern Wealth Management LLC now owns 1,351 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $354,000 after purchasing an additional 55 shares during the period. Neo Ivy Capital Management purchased a new position in West Pharmaceutical Services during the third quarter worth approximately $1,789,000. Aptus Capital Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in West Pharmaceutical Services in the third quarter valued at approximately $225,000. Finally, Orion Porfolio Solutions LLC increased its position in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 42.0% in the third quarter. Orion Porfolio Solutions LLC now owns 2,589 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $679,000 after buying an additional 766 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 93.90% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

WST has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $315.00 target price on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in a research report on Friday, February 13th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in a research report on Friday, January 9th. Barclays cut their target price on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services from $325.00 to $265.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, February 13th. Jefferies Financial Group reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $295.00 price objective on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in a report on Tuesday, February 10th. Finally, UBS Group reissued a “buy” rating and set a $340.00 target price on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in a report on Friday, February 13th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have given a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, West Pharmaceutical Services has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $314.56.

West Pharmaceutical Services Stock Up 1.9%

WST stock opened at $238.29 on Thursday. West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. has a one year low of $187.43 and a one year high of $322.34. The firm has a market cap of $17.16 billion, a PE ratio of 35.09, a PEG ratio of 2.51 and a beta of 1.17. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $251.55 and its 200-day moving average price is $262.02. 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, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.83 by $0.21. The firm had revenue of $805.00 million during 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 firm’s quarterly revenue was up 7.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $1.82 EPS. West Pharmaceutical Services has set its FY 2026 guidance at 7.850-8.200 EPS. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. will post 6.62 EPS for the current year.

West Pharmaceutical Services Announces Dividend

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

West Pharmaceutical Services announced that its board has approved a share buyback program on Tuesday, February 17th that permits the company to buyback $1.00 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization permits the medical instruments supplier to reacquire up to 5.6% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are usually a sign that the company’s board 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.