APG Asset Management N.V. Sells 244,966 Shares of West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. $WST

APG Asset Management N.V. cut its holdings in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST) by 14.8% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 1,413,698 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after selling 244,966 shares during the period. West Pharmaceutical Services accounts for approximately 0.7% of APG Asset Management N.V.’s holdings, making the stock its 18th biggest holding. APG Asset Management N.V. owned about 1.97% of West Pharmaceutical Services worth $370,855,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of WST. Generation Investment Management LLP acquired a new position in West Pharmaceutical Services in the second quarter valued at approximately $255,072,000. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in West Pharmaceutical Services during the 2nd quarter worth $200,813,000. Artisan Partners Limited Partnership lifted its stake in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 22.2% in 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 purchasing an additional 503,601 shares during the period. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its stake in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 4.2% in 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 purchasing an additional 388,144 shares during the period. Finally, ProShare Advisors LLC boosted its position in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 46.8% in the 2nd quarter. ProShare Advisors LLC now owns 738,368 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $161,555,000 after purchasing an additional 235,272 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 93.90% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms recently commented on WST. Barclays dropped their price objective on West Pharmaceutical Services from $325.00 to $265.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Friday, February 13th. Morgan Stanley started coverage on West Pharmaceutical Services in a research note on Monday, December 1st. They issued an “equal weight” rating and a $285.00 price target for the company. UBS Group reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $340.00 price target on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in a research report on Friday, February 13th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reissued a “buy” rating and set a $315.00 price objective on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in a research note on Friday, February 13th. Finally, Wall Street Zen raised shares of West Pharmaceutical Services from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Saturday, December 20th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have assigned a Buy rating and three have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $314.56.

West Pharmaceutical Services Stock Up 2.0%

West Pharmaceutical Services stock opened at $254.10 on Friday. The company has a 50 day moving average of $256.49 and a 200-day moving average of $262.05. 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, Inc. has a twelve month low of $187.43 and a twelve month high of $322.34. The stock has a market capitalization of $18.30 billion, a PE ratio of 37.42, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.69 and a beta of 1.18.

West Pharmaceutical Services (NYSE:WST) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 12th. The medical instruments supplier reported $2.04 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.83 by $0.21. The business had revenue of $805.00 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $795.70 million. West Pharmaceutical Services had a net margin of 16.06% and a return on equity of 17.90%. The firm’s revenue was up 7.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $1.82 EPS. West Pharmaceutical Services has set its FY 2026 guidance at 7.850-8.200 EPS. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. will post 6.62 EPS for the current fiscal year.

West Pharmaceutical Services Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, May 6th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, April 29th will be given a dividend of $0.22 per share. This represents a $0.88 annualized dividend 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 is currently 12.96%.

West Pharmaceutical Services announced that its board has approved a stock buyback plan on Tuesday, February 17th that permits the company to repurchase $1.00 billion in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization permits the medical instruments supplier to buy up to 5.6% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase plans are often a sign that the company’s board believes its stock is 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.