West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. $WST Shares Sold by American Century Companies Inc.

American Century Companies Inc. cut its position in West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST) by 20.5% in the third quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 297,008 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after selling 76,423 shares during the quarter. American Century Companies Inc. owned 0.41% of West Pharmaceutical Services worth $77,914,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Accredited Wealth Management LLC grew its position in West Pharmaceutical Services by 575.0% in the 3rd quarter. Accredited Wealth Management LLC now owns 270 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $71,000 after acquiring an additional 230 shares in the last quarter. Aster Capital Management DIFC Ltd lifted its position in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 2,141.8% during the third quarter. Aster Capital Management DIFC Ltd now owns 1,233 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $323,000 after purchasing an additional 1,178 shares in the last quarter. Handelsbanken Fonder AB boosted its stake in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 1.4% in the third quarter. Handelsbanken Fonder AB now owns 60,780 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $15,944,000 after purchasing an additional 858 shares during the period. Artisan Partners Limited Partnership boosted its stake in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 22.2% in the third 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. Finally, DNB Asset Management AS grew its holdings in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 5.5% in the third quarter. DNB Asset Management AS now owns 13,472 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $3,534,000 after purchasing an additional 705 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 93.90% of the company’s stock.

West Pharmaceutical Services Stock Up 0.0%

Shares of NYSE WST opened at $251.34 on Wednesday. The company has a market capitalization of $18.10 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 37.02, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.66 and a beta of 1.17. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.06, a current ratio of 3.02 and a quick ratio of 2.34. The business has a 50-day moving average of $255.48 and a two-hundred day moving average of $262.23. West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. has a 1 year low of $187.43 and a 1 year high of $322.34.

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

West Pharmaceutical Services Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, May 6th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, April 29th will be issued a dividend of $0.22 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, April 29th. This represents a $0.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.4%. West Pharmaceutical Services’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 12.96%.

West Pharmaceutical Services declared that its Board of Directors has initiated a stock repurchase plan on Tuesday, February 17th that authorizes the company to repurchase $1.00 billion in shares. This repurchase authorization authorizes the medical instruments supplier to buy up to 5.6% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase plans are often an indication that the company’s management believes its stock is undervalued.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

WST has been the topic of a number of research reports. Morgan Stanley initiated coverage on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in a report on Monday, December 1st. They set an “equal weight” rating and a $285.00 target price on the stock. UBS Group reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $340.00 price objective on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in a research note on Friday, February 13th. Barclays decreased their target price 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. Jefferies Financial Group reissued a “buy” rating and set a $295.00 target price on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in a research note on Tuesday, February 10th. Finally, Zacks Research raised West Pharmaceutical Services from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 21st. Three 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. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $314.56.

West Pharmaceutical Services Company 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.