Artisan Partners Limited Partnership Increases Stake in West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. $WST

Artisan Partners Limited Partnership grew its stake in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST) by 22.2% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 2,770,920 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after purchasing an additional 503,601 shares during the quarter. West Pharmaceutical Services makes up approximately 1.0% of Artisan Partners Limited Partnership’s portfolio, making the stock its 25th biggest position. Artisan Partners Limited Partnership owned 3.85% of West Pharmaceutical Services worth $726,895,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Flagship Harbor Advisors LLC raised its holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services by 3.7% during the 3rd quarter. Flagship Harbor Advisors LLC now owns 1,091 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $286,000 after buying an additional 39 shares during the last quarter. NewEdge Wealth LLC grew its holdings in 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 worth $333,000 after acquiring an additional 40 shares during the last quarter. RFG Advisory LLC increased its position in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 2.2% in the third quarter. RFG Advisory LLC now owns 2,233 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $586,000 after acquiring an additional 47 shares during the period. CX Institutional raised its stake in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 5.4% during the third quarter. CX Institutional now owns 939 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $246,000 after acquiring an additional 48 shares during the last quarter. Finally, TD Waterhouse Canada Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 2.4% during the third quarter. TD Waterhouse Canada Inc. now owns 2,124 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $575,000 after purchasing an additional 49 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 93.90% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts recently issued reports on WST shares. Morgan Stanley began coverage on West Pharmaceutical Services in a report on Monday, December 1st. They set an “equal weight” rating and a $285.00 price target on the stock. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $315.00 price objective on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in a research report on Friday, February 13th. Evercore reduced their target price on West Pharmaceutical Services from $390.00 to $320.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, February 3rd. UBS Group restated a “buy” rating and set a $340.00 target price on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in a report on Friday, February 13th. Finally, Zacks Research upgraded shares of West Pharmaceutical Services from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 21st. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have given a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $314.56.

West Pharmaceutical Services Stock Up 0.5%

WST stock opened at $249.04 on Friday. The business has a 50 day moving average of $256.85 and a 200 day moving average of $261.80. The firm has a market cap of $17.94 billion, a PE ratio of 36.68, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.62 and a beta of 1.18. West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. has a twelve month low of $187.43 and a twelve month high of $322.34. 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 released its earnings results on Thursday, February 12th. The medical instruments supplier reported $2.04 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 for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $795.70 million. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $1.82 earnings per share. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 7.5% on a year-over-year basis. West Pharmaceutical Services has set its FY 2026 guidance at 7.850-8.200 EPS. On average, research analysts forecast that West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. will post 6.62 EPS for the current fiscal year.

West Pharmaceutical Services Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, May 6th. Shareholders 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 yield of 0.4%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, April 29th. West Pharmaceutical Services’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 12.96%.

West Pharmaceutical Services announced that its Board of Directors has authorized a stock buyback plan 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 shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback plans are usually a sign that the company’s leadership believes its shares are undervalued.

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.