Royal Bank of Canada Decreases Stake in West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. $WST

Royal Bank of Canada reduced its stake in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST) by 15.1% in the 1st quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor owned 377,552 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after selling 67,308 shares during the quarter. Royal Bank of Canada’s holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services were worth $94,628,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Elyxium Wealth LLC acquired a new position in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in the 4th quarter valued at $25,000. CYBER HORNET ETFs LLC acquired a new stake in West Pharmaceutical Services during the 2nd quarter worth about $25,000. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC lifted its position in West Pharmaceutical Services by 90.9% during the 1st quarter. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC now owns 105 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $26,000 after acquiring an additional 50 shares during the period. Bayban purchased a new stake in West Pharmaceutical Services during the 4th quarter valued at about $27,000. Finally, Private Trust Co. NA grew its stake in West Pharmaceutical Services by 156.4% during the 4th quarter. Private Trust Co. NA now owns 100 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $28,000 after purchasing an additional 61 shares during the last quarter. 93.90% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

West Pharmaceutical Services Price Performance

NYSE:WST opened at $341.04 on Friday. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $339.80 and its two-hundred day moving average is $289.51. The firm has a market cap of $24.00 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 43.67, a PEG ratio of 2.37 and a beta of 1.16. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.07, a quick ratio of 2.12 and a current ratio of 2.82. West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. has a one year low of $223.83 and a one year high of $386.00.

West Pharmaceutical Services (NYSE:WST) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 23rd. The medical instruments supplier reported $2.37 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.08 by $0.29. The business had revenue of $872.30 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $839.98 million. West Pharmaceutical Services had a return on equity of 20.11% and a net margin of 16.98%.The company’s revenue was up 13.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $1.84 EPS. West Pharmaceutical Services has set its Q3 2026 guidance at 2.140-2.240 EPS and its FY 2026 guidance at 8.850-9.050 EPS. Research analysts expect that West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. will post 8.94 EPS for the current year.

West Pharmaceutical Services Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, August 5th. Investors of record on Wednesday, July 29th will be given a dividend of $0.22 per share. This represents a $0.88 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.3%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, July 29th. West Pharmaceutical Services’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 11.27%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts have recently weighed in on WST shares. KeyCorp increased their price objective on West Pharmaceutical Services from $350.00 to $390.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, July 2nd. Wolfe Research started coverage on West Pharmaceutical Services in a report on Monday, June 1st. They set an “outperform” rating and a $375.00 target price for the company. Barclays upgraded West Pharmaceutical Services from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and upped their target price for the company from $310.00 to $400.00 in a research report on Tuesday, June 9th. Citigroup reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in a report on Friday, April 24th. Finally, BNP Paribas Exane began coverage on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in a research report on Monday, July 13th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $447.00 price target for the company. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have issued a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, West Pharmaceutical Services has an average rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $364.42.

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.