12,436 Shares in West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. $WST Bought by Fideuram Asset Management Ireland dac

Key Points

• Fideuram Asset Management Ireland dac opened a new position in West Pharmaceutical Services, buying 12,436 shares valued at about $3.46 million in the fourth quarter.
• West Pharmaceutical Services reported strong quarterly results, with EPS of $2.13 topping estimates and revenue of $844.9 million, up 21% year over year.
• The company also authorized a $1 billion share repurchase plan, while analysts currently rate the stock a Moderate Buy with an average target price of $322.89.

Fideuram Asset Management Ireland dac acquired a new position in West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST - Free Report) during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund acquired 12,436 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock, valued at approximately $3,460,000.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Flagship Harbor Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services by 3.7% in the 3rd quarter. Flagship Harbor Advisors LLC now owns 1,091 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $286,000 after buying an additional 39 shares in the last quarter. NewEdge Wealth LLC lifted 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 buying an additional 40 shares in the last quarter. Darwin Wealth Management LLC lifted its holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services by 10.8% in the 4th quarter. Darwin Wealth Management LLC now owns 410 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $113,000 after buying an additional 40 shares in the last quarter. RFG Advisory LLC lifted its holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services by 2.2% in the 3rd quarter. RFG Advisory LLC now owns 2,233 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $586,000 after buying an additional 47 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Faithward Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services by 0.4% in the 3rd quarter. Faithward Advisors LLC now owns 11,855 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $3,110,000 after buying an additional 48 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 93.90% of the company's stock.

West Pharmaceutical Services Stock Performance

Shares of West Pharmaceutical Services stock opened at $322.27 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $22.77 billion, a PE ratio of 43.08, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.62 and a beta of 1.17. The firm's 50-day simple moving average is $281.89 and its 200-day simple moving average is $267.33. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.07, a quick ratio of 2.04 and a current ratio of 2.71. West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. has a 1 year low of $206.10 and a 1 year high of $330.88.

West Pharmaceutical Services (NYSE:WST - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, April 23rd. The medical instruments supplier reported $2.13 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.68 by $0.45. The business had revenue of $844.90 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $779.68 million. West Pharmaceutical Services had a net margin of 16.85% and a return on equity of 19.03%. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 21.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $1.45 EPS. West Pharmaceutical Services has set its FY 2026 guidance at 8.400-8.750 EPS and its Q2 2026 guidance at 2.050-2.120 EPS. Equities analysts forecast that West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. will post 8.6 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

West Pharmaceutical Services announced that its Board of Directors has authorized a share repurchase plan on Tuesday, February 17th that allows the company to buyback $1.00 billion in shares. This buyback authorization allows the medical instruments supplier to buy up to 5.6% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback plans are often an indication that the company's leadership believes its shares are undervalued.

Insider Transactions at West Pharmaceutical Services

In other news, VP Annette F. Favorite sold 2,817 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Monday, April 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $305.20, for a total value of $859,748.40. Following the sale, the vice president owned 16,828 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,135,905.60. This represents a 14.34% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, CAO Chad Winters sold 896 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Monday, April 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $300.67, for a total transaction of $269,400.32. Following the sale, the chief accounting officer directly owned 1,523 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $457,920.41. This represents a 37.04% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Corporate insiders own 0.60% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts have commented on the stock. Morgan Stanley set a $315.00 price objective on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in a report on Monday, April 27th. Zacks Research upgraded shares of West Pharmaceutical Services from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, May 13th. Jefferies Financial Group reiterated a "buy" rating and issued a $295.00 price objective on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in a report on Tuesday, February 10th. UBS Group reiterated a "buy" rating and issued a $340.00 price objective on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in a report on Friday, February 13th. Finally, Barclays boosted their price objective on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services from $275.00 to $310.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a report on Monday, April 27th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have issued a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, West Pharmaceutical Services currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $322.89.

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.

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