Salem Investment Counselors Inc. Buys 2,843 Shares of West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. $WST

Salem Investment Counselors Inc. lifted its stake in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST) by 76.5% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 6,561 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after acquiring an additional 2,843 shares during the quarter. Salem Investment Counselors Inc.’s holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services were worth $1,805,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in the second quarter valued at approximately $200,813,000. Artisan Partners Limited Partnership increased its holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services by 22.2% during the 3rd quarter. Artisan Partners Limited Partnership now owns 2,770,920 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $726,895,000 after purchasing an additional 503,601 shares during the period. Steadfast Capital Management LP purchased a new position in West Pharmaceutical Services during the 3rd quarter worth $123,667,000. AQR Capital Management LLC raised 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 valued at $142,949,000 after purchasing an additional 440,929 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Vanguard Group Inc. raised its position in West Pharmaceutical Services by 4.2% during the 3rd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 9,704,948 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $2,545,899,000 after purchasing an additional 388,144 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 93.90% of the company’s stock.

West Pharmaceutical Services Stock Up 1.6%

Shares of NYSE WST opened at $245.19 on Wednesday. West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. has a 12-month low of $187.43 and a 12-month high of $322.34. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $244.89 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $261.64. The stock has a market capitalization of $17.67 billion, a PE ratio of 36.11, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.57 and a beta of 1.17. The company has a current ratio of 3.02, a quick ratio of 2.34 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.06.

West Pharmaceutical Services (NYSE:WST) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 12th. The medical instruments supplier reported $2.04 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.83 by $0.21. The firm had revenue of $805.00 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $795.70 million. West Pharmaceutical Services had a return on equity of 17.90% and a net margin of 16.06%.The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 7.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $1.82 EPS. West Pharmaceutical Services has set its FY 2026 guidance at 7.850-8.200 EPS. As a group, analysts expect that West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. will post 6.62 EPS for the current fiscal year.

West Pharmaceutical Services announced that its board has authorized a share repurchase plan on Tuesday, February 17th that permits the company to repurchase $1.00 billion in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization permits the medical instruments supplier to purchase up to 5.6% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase plans are generally a sign that the company’s board believes its shares are undervalued.

West Pharmaceutical Services Announces Dividend

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

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms have recently issued reports on WST. Morgan Stanley assumed coverage on West Pharmaceutical Services in a research report on Monday, December 1st. They set an “equal weight” rating and a $285.00 price target on the stock. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft restated a “buy” rating and issued a $315.00 price objective on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in a report on Friday, February 13th. Jefferies Financial Group reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $295.00 price objective on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in a research note on Tuesday, February 10th. Evercore dropped their target price on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services from $390.00 to $320.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, February 3rd. Finally, Zacks Research raised shares of West Pharmaceutical Services from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 21st. 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 stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, West Pharmaceutical Services has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $314.56.

About West Pharmaceutical Services

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.