Fisher Asset Management LLC Sells 2,389 Shares of West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. $WST

Fisher Asset Management LLC lessened its holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST) by 9.8% in the third quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 21,949 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after selling 2,389 shares during the quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC’s holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services were worth $5,758,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in WST. Rockland Trust Co. increased its stake in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 6.5% during the 3rd quarter. Rockland Trust Co. now owns 83,066 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $21,791,000 after purchasing an additional 5,087 shares during the last quarter. Truist Financial Corp increased its position in West Pharmaceutical Services by 73.7% in the third quarter. Truist Financial Corp now owns 29,107 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $7,636,000 after buying an additional 12,348 shares during the last quarter. Cibc World Market Inc. increased its position in West Pharmaceutical Services by 300.0% in the third quarter. Cibc World Market Inc. now owns 18,586 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $4,876,000 after buying an additional 13,940 shares during the last quarter. Asset Management One Co. Ltd. raised its stake in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 16.7% in the third quarter. Asset Management One Co. Ltd. now owns 69,775 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $18,304,000 after buying an additional 10,009 shares during the period. Finally, North Growth Management Ltd. lifted its position in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 17.2% during the 3rd quarter. North Growth Management Ltd. now owns 34,000 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $8,930,000 after buying an additional 5,000 shares during the last quarter. 93.90% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

West Pharmaceutical Services Stock Performance

Shares of WST opened at $244.50 on Friday. 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. The company has a market cap of $17.61 billion, a PE ratio of 36.01, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.63 and a beta of 1.17. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $254.30 and a 200-day moving average price of $262.02.

West Pharmaceutical Services (NYSE:WST) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 12th. The medical instruments supplier reported $2.04 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate 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 company 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 business earned $1.82 earnings per share. West Pharmaceutical Services’s revenue for the quarter 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. As a group, equities analysts forecast that West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. will post 6.62 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

West Pharmaceutical Services announced that its Board of Directors has initiated a stock buyback 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 shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback programs are usually an indication that the company’s leadership believes its stock is undervalued.

West Pharmaceutical Services Dividend Announcement

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

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts recently issued reports on the company. Zacks Research upgraded West Pharmaceutical Services from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 21st. 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 research report on Friday, February 13th. Morgan Stanley initiated coverage on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in a report on Monday, December 1st. They issued an “equal weight” rating and a $285.00 price objective for the company. Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c)” rating on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in a report on Friday, January 9th. Finally, Wall Street Zen upgraded West Pharmaceutical Services from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Saturday, December 20th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have issued a Buy rating and three have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $314.56.

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.