West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. $WST Position Lowered by ProShare Advisors LLC

ProShare Advisors LLC decreased its stake in West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST) by 20.6% during the 3rd quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 474,984 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after selling 123,040 shares during the period. ProShare Advisors LLC’s holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services were worth $176,105,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in WST. BlackRock Inc. bought a new stake in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in the 2nd quarter valued at $2,387,990,000. State Street Corp boosted its holdings in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 1.7% during the second quarter. State Street Corp now owns 3,348,698 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $1,202,183,000 after acquiring an additional 54,920 shares during the period. Bank of New York Mellon Corp acquired a new position in West Pharmaceutical Services in the 2nd quarter valued at $733,733,000. Generation Investment Management LLP bought a new position in West Pharmaceutical Services during the second quarter worth about $728,168,000. Finally, Findlay Park Partners LLP acquired a new stake in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in the second quarter valued at approximately $214,196,000. Institutional investors own 93.90% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, VP Annette Favorite sold 8,135 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, September 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $340.81, for a total transaction of $2,772,489.35. Following the transaction, the vice president directly owned 16,845 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,740,944.45. This trade represents a 32.57% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 15,659 shares of company stock valued at $5,443,749. 0.60% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Trending Headlines about West Pharmaceutical Services

Here are the key news stories impacting West Pharmaceutical Services this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Q3 results exceeded expectations: West reported adjusted earnings of $2.66 per share, above the $2.20 consensus estimate, while revenue rose 8.7% year over year to $874.5 million, surpassing the $827.1 million forecast. West Reports Third-Quarter 2026 Results
• Positive Sentiment: Higher 2026 outlook: Management raised full-year revenue guidance to $3.41 billion-$3.42 billion from $3.345 billion-$3.380 billion and lifted adjusted EPS guidance to $9.38-$9.48 from $8.85-$9.05. West Pharmaceutical Services Raises Annual Outlook
• Positive Sentiment: Strong high-value product demand: High-Value Product Components sales increased 19.7% and accounted for 53% of quarterly sales, supporting margin expansion and confidence in the company’s growth mix. West Pharma Q3 Earnings Rise on HVP Strength
• Positive Sentiment: Barclays raised its price target to $500 from $440 and maintained an “overweight” rating, implying additional upside based on the referenced share price. Barclays Raises West Pharmaceutical Price Target
• Neutral Sentiment: Institutional positioning was mixed, with several large funds adding shares while others reduced or exited positions. Recent insider activity also showed sales rather than purchases, though these transactions may not reflect the company’s operating outlook.
• Negative Sentiment: Valuation remains a risk after the rally, with the stock trading at a high earnings multiple. One analysis also cautioned that declining cash flow may leave the shares overvalued if earnings growth moderates. West Stock Could Be Overvalued

West Pharmaceutical Services Trading Down 0.9%

Shares of WST stock opened at $412.73 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.07, a current ratio of 2.82 and a quick ratio of 2.12. West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. has a 1-year low of $223.83 and a 1-year high of $438.27. The stock has a market capitalization of $29.05 billion, a PE ratio of 46.32, a P/E/G ratio of 2.73 and a beta of 1.13. The business has a 50-day moving average of $367.76 and a 200 day moving average of $313.21.

West Pharmaceutical Services (NYSE:WST) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 29th. The medical instruments supplier reported $2.66 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.20 by $0.46. West Pharmaceutical Services had a net margin of 18.81% and a return on equity of 21.78%. The company had revenue of $874.50 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $827.12 million. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $1.96 EPS. West Pharmaceutical Services’s revenue for the quarter was up 8.7% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. will post 9.46 earnings per share for the current year.

West Pharmaceutical Services Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, November 18th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, November 11th will be issued a $0.26 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, November 10th. This is a positive change from West Pharmaceutical Services’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.22. This represents a $1.04 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.3%. West Pharmaceutical Services’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 9.88%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts recently issued reports on WST shares. UBS Group lifted their price objective on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services from $340.00 to $415.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, September 9th. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of West Pharmaceutical Services from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Sunday. Morgan Stanley upgraded shares of West Pharmaceutical Services from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and upped their price target for the stock from $365.00 to $400.00 in a report on Tuesday, September 22nd. BNP Paribas Exane started coverage on West Pharmaceutical Services in a report on Monday, July 13th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $447.00 price objective on the stock. Finally, Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of West Pharmaceutical Services from a “hold (c)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a research report on Friday, August 7th. Twelve analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $409.67.

West Pharmaceutical Services Profile

West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc develops and manufactures components and delivery systems used in the administration and packaging of injectable medicines and other healthcare products. Its offerings include elastomer closures, seals, syringe components, drug-delivery systems, and other specialized packaging components designed to support the safety, quality, and performance of pharmaceutical products.

The company also provides contract-manufacturing services for pharmaceutical, biotechnology, and medical-device customers.