Riverbridge Partners LLC Has $87.66 Million Stock Position in West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. $WST

Riverbridge Partners LLC lowered its stake in West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST) by 12.1% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 318,613 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after selling 43,927 shares during the period. West Pharmaceutical Services makes up 1.6% of Riverbridge Partners LLC’s holdings, making the stock its 19th biggest holding. Riverbridge Partners LLC’s holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services were worth $87,663,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the stock. Flagship Harbor Advisors LLC grew its stake in West Pharmaceutical Services by 3.7% during the third quarter. Flagship Harbor Advisors LLC now owns 1,091 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $286,000 after buying an additional 39 shares in the last quarter. NewEdge Wealth LLC raised its position in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 3.5% in the 3rd quarter. NewEdge Wealth LLC now owns 1,174 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $333,000 after buying an additional 40 shares in the last quarter. RFG Advisory LLC raised its position in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 2.2% in the 3rd quarter. RFG Advisory LLC now owns 2,233 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $586,000 after buying an additional 47 shares in the last quarter. CX Institutional lifted its holdings in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 5.4% during the 3rd quarter. CX Institutional now owns 939 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $246,000 after acquiring an additional 48 shares during the period. Finally, Faithward Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 0.4% during the 3rd quarter. Faithward Advisors LLC now owns 11,855 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $3,110,000 after acquiring an additional 48 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 93.90% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts recently issued reports on WST shares. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $315.00 price objective on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in a research note on Friday, February 13th. Wall Street Zen upgraded West Pharmaceutical Services from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Saturday, December 20th. Morgan Stanley began coverage on West Pharmaceutical Services in a research report on Monday, December 1st. They set an “equal weight” rating and a $285.00 price objective for the company. Zacks Research upgraded West Pharmaceutical Services from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 21st. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $295.00 target price on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in a report on Tuesday, February 10th. Three 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. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $314.56.

West Pharmaceutical Services Stock Up 0.4%

Shares of NYSE:WST opened at $248.12 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $17.88 billion, a P/E ratio of 36.54, a P/E/G ratio of 2.63 and a beta of 1.17. West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. has a 12-month low of $187.43 and a 12-month high of $322.34. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $243.70 and a 200 day simple moving average of $261.44. The company has a quick ratio of 2.34, a current ratio of 3.02 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.06.

West Pharmaceutical Services (NYSE:WST) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 12th. The medical instruments supplier reported $2.04 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.83 by $0.21. The company had revenue of $805.00 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations 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 quarterly revenue was up 7.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $1.82 earnings per share. West Pharmaceutical Services has set its FY 2026 guidance at 7.850-8.200 EPS. Analysts predict that West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. will post 6.62 earnings per share for the current year.

West Pharmaceutical Services Announces Dividend

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

West Pharmaceutical Services declared that its Board of Directors has authorized a share repurchase program on Tuesday, February 17th that permits the company to buyback $1.00 billion in shares. This buyback authorization permits the medical instruments supplier to buy up to 5.6% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback programs are typically a sign that the company’s leadership believes its shares are undervalued.

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.