Assenagon Asset Management S.A. Has $69.06 Million Stake in West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. $WST

Assenagon Asset Management S.A. raised its stake in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST) by 32.9% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 251,006 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after purchasing an additional 62,139 shares during the quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. owned 0.35% of West Pharmaceutical Services worth $69,062,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the stock. Norges Bank bought a new position in West Pharmaceutical Services during the second quarter valued at about $200,813,000. Artisan Partners Limited Partnership lifted its position 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 worth $726,895,000 after acquiring an additional 503,601 shares during the period. Steadfast Capital Management LP bought a new stake in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $123,667,000. AQR Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 420.1% during the 3rd quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 545,879 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $142,949,000 after purchasing an additional 440,929 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Vanguard Group Inc. grew its holdings in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 4.2% during the 3rd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 9,704,948 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $2,545,899,000 after purchasing an additional 388,144 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 93.90% of the company’s stock.

West Pharmaceutical Services Price Performance

Shares of WST stock opened at $245.19 on Wednesday. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $244.89 and its 200 day simple moving average is $261.64. 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 firm has a market cap of $17.67 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 36.11, a P/E/G ratio of 2.57 and a beta of 1.17. West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. has a one year low of $187.43 and a one 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 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.83 by $0.21. The firm had revenue of $805.00 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates 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% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $1.82 earnings per share. West Pharmaceutical Services has set its FY 2026 guidance at 7.850-8.200 EPS. On average, analysts expect that West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. will post 6.62 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

West Pharmaceutical Services Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, May 6th. Investors of record on Wednesday, April 29th will be issued a dividend of $0.22 per share. This represents a $0.88 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.4%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend 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 program on Tuesday, February 17th that permits the company to buyback $1.00 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization permits the medical instruments supplier to purchase up to 5.6% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback programs are usually a sign that the company’s management believes its shares are undervalued.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have recently issued reports on WST shares. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft restated a “buy” rating and set a $315.00 price objective on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in a research report on Friday, February 13th. Barclays decreased 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 note on Friday, February 13th. Jefferies Financial Group reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $295.00 price target on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in a report on Tuesday, February 10th. Morgan Stanley began 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 objective for the company. Finally, Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of West Pharmaceutical Services from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report 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 given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Buy” and an average 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.