5,922 Shares in West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. $WST Bought by Commerce Bank

Key Points

• Commerce Bank acquired 5,922 shares of West Pharmaceutical Services during the second quarter, valued at approximately $2.13 million. Institutional investors collectively own 93.9% of the company.
• Analyst sentiment remains positive, with a consensus “Moderate Buy” rating and an average price target of $368.08; several firms recently raised their targets, although Zacks downgraded the stock to “Hold.”
• West Pharmaceutical Services exceeded quarterly expectations, reporting $2.37 in EPS and $872.3 million in revenue, up 13.8% year over year. The company also pays a quarterly dividend of $0.22 per share, equal to a 0.2% annual yield.

Commerce Bank acquired a new position in West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST - Free Report) during the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund acquired 5,922 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock, valued at approximately $2,126,000.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Empowered Funds LLC increased its position in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 16.1% during the first quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 1,611 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $361,000 after acquiring an additional 224 shares during the last quarter. Intech Investment Management LLC boosted its holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services by 27.7% in the first quarter. Intech Investment Management LLC now owns 6,020 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $1,348,000 after purchasing an additional 1,307 shares during the last quarter. Acadian Asset Management LLC grew its stake in West Pharmaceutical Services by 14.1% during the 1st quarter. Acadian Asset Management LLC now owns 1,271 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $284,000 after purchasing an additional 157 shares in the last quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC grew its stake in West Pharmaceutical Services by 78.2% during the 2nd quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 449 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $98,000 after purchasing an additional 197 shares in the last quarter. Finally, First Trust Advisors LP increased its holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services by 168.4% during the 2nd quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 46,332 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $10,137,000 after purchasing an additional 29,067 shares during the last quarter. 93.90% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms have recently commented on WST. KeyCorp increased their target price on West Pharmaceutical Services from $350.00 to $390.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Thursday, July 2nd. Morgan Stanley lifted their price target on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services from $325.00 to $365.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Thursday, July 9th. Barclays raised shares of West Pharmaceutical Services from an "equal weight" rating to an "overweight" rating and upped their price target for the company from $310.00 to $400.00 in a report on Tuesday, June 9th. Zacks Research downgraded shares of West Pharmaceutical Services from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 12th. Finally, Wolfe Research assumed coverage on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in a report on Monday, June 1st. They set an "outperform" rating and a $375.00 price objective for the company. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have given a Buy rating and three have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, West Pharmaceutical Services presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $368.08.

West Pharmaceutical Services Trading Up 0.1%

NYSE WST opened at $353.33 on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.07, a quick ratio of 2.12 and a current ratio of 2.82. West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. has a one year low of $223.83 and a one year high of $386.00. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $349.06 and a 200-day simple moving average of $301.06. The firm has a market capitalization of $24.87 billion, a PE ratio of 45.24, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.47 and a beta of 1.15.

West Pharmaceutical Services (NYSE:WST - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 23rd. The medical instruments supplier reported $2.37 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.08 by $0.29. West Pharmaceutical Services had a net margin of 16.98% and a return on equity of 20.11%. The firm had revenue of $872.30 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $839.98 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $1.84 earnings per share. West Pharmaceutical Services's quarterly revenue was up 13.8% on a year-over-year basis. West Pharmaceutical Services has set its Q3 2026 guidance at 2.140-2.240 EPS and its FY 2026 guidance at 8.850-9.050 EPS. On average, equities analysts forecast that West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. will post 8.93 earnings per share for the current year.

West Pharmaceutical Services Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, August 5th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, July 29th were issued a dividend of $0.22 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, July 29th. This represents a $0.88 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.2%. West Pharmaceutical Services's dividend payout ratio is 11.27%.

About West Pharmaceutical Services

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.

Want to see what other hedge funds are holding WST? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST - Free Report).

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.