Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. Has $64.89 Million Holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. $WST

Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. lifted its holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST) by 22.2% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 247,356 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after purchasing an additional 44,938 shares during the quarter. Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. owned 0.34% of West Pharmaceutical Services worth $64,889,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of WST. CYBER HORNET ETFs LLC bought a new stake in West Pharmaceutical Services during the second quarter worth $25,000. Vermillion & White Wealth Management Group LLC raised its holdings in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 193.9% in the 2nd quarter. Vermillion & White Wealth Management Group LLC now owns 144 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $32,000 after purchasing an additional 95 shares during the period. SJS Investment Consulting Inc. lifted its stake in West Pharmaceutical Services by 1,842.9% in the 3rd quarter. SJS Investment Consulting Inc. now owns 136 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $36,000 after purchasing an additional 129 shares during the last quarter. Pilgrim Partners Asia Pte Ltd bought a new position in West Pharmaceutical Services during the third quarter worth about $47,000. Finally, MUFG Securities EMEA plc bought a new position in West Pharmaceutical Services during the second quarter worth about $47,000. Institutional investors own 93.90% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts have issued reports on WST shares. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c)” rating on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in a report on Friday, January 9th. 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. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft restated a “buy” rating and set a $315.00 target price on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in a research note on Friday, February 13th. Morgan Stanley assumed coverage on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in a research note on Monday, December 1st. They issued an “equal weight” rating and a $285.00 price target on the stock. Finally, Barclays lowered their price target on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services from $325.00 to $265.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, February 13th. Three equities 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. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $314.56.

West Pharmaceutical Services Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:WST opened at $235.66 on Friday. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $249.85 and a 200-day moving average of $261.73. The stock has a market capitalization of $16.97 billion, a PE ratio of 34.71, a PEG ratio of 2.46 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 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 data 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 net margin of 16.06% and a return on equity of 17.90%. The business had revenue of $805.00 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $795.70 million. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $1.82 EPS. The firm’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. On average, equities research analysts predict that West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. will post 6.62 EPS for the current fiscal year.

West Pharmaceutical Services Dividend Announcement

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

West Pharmaceutical Services declared that its board has initiated a stock 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 reacquire up to 5.6% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are generally an indication that the company’s board 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.