72,558 Shares in West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. $WST Purchased by OFI Invest Asset Management

OFI Invest Asset Management bought a new position in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST) in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm bought 72,558 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock, valued at approximately $19,964,000. OFI Invest Asset Management owned approximately 0.10% of West Pharmaceutical Services at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in WST. Artisan Partners Limited Partnership grew 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 valued at $726,895,000 after buying an additional 503,601 shares in the last quarter. Steadfast Capital Management LP purchased a new position in West Pharmaceutical Services during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $123,667,000. AQR Capital Management LLC grew its holdings 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 buying an additional 440,929 shares in the last quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its holdings 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 buying an additional 388,144 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Woodline Partners LP purchased a new position in West Pharmaceutical Services during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $66,164,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 93.90% of the company’s stock.

West Pharmaceutical Services Price Performance

Shares of WST stock opened at $266.14 on Thursday. West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. has a 52-week low of $187.43 and a 52-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. The firm has a market capitalization of $19.18 billion, a P/E ratio of 39.20, a P/E/G ratio of 2.71 and a beta of 1.15. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $244.85 and a 200 day moving average price of $261.34.

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 (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.83 by $0.21. West Pharmaceutical Services had a return on equity of 17.90% and a net margin of 16.06%.The firm had revenue of $805.00 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $795.70 million. During the same period last year, the company earned $1.82 EPS. West Pharmaceutical Services’s quarterly revenue was up 7.5% compared to the same quarter last year. West Pharmaceutical Services has set its FY 2026 guidance at 7.850-8.200 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. will post 6.62 earnings per share for the current year.

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

West Pharmaceutical Services Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, May 6th. Investors of record on Wednesday, April 29th will be paid a dividend of $0.22 per share. This represents a $0.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.3%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, April 29th. West Pharmaceutical Services’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 12.96%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts have weighed in on WST shares. Wall Street Zen upgraded West Pharmaceutical Services from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Saturday, December 20th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c)” rating on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in a research note on Friday, January 9th. 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. Zacks Research raised West Pharmaceutical Services from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 21st. Finally, UBS Group reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $340.00 price objective on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in a research note on Friday, February 13th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have given a Buy rating and three have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $314.56.

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.