Alyeska Investment Group L.P. Invests $11.13 Million in West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. $WST

Key Points

• Alyeska Investment Group initiated a $11.13 million position in West Pharmaceutical Services by purchasing 31,000 shares during the second quarter. Institutional investors collectively own 93.9% of WST’s outstanding stock.
• Analysts maintain a positive outlook, with a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $368.08; individual targets range from $365 to $447.
• West Pharmaceutical Services exceeded quarterly expectations, reporting $2.37 in EPS versus $2.08 expected and $872.3 million in revenue, up 13.8% year over year. The company also paid a quarterly dividend of $0.22 per share, yielding approximately 0.3%.

Alyeska Investment Group L.P. bought a new position in West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST - Free Report) in the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund bought 31,000 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock, valued at approximately $11,129,000.

A number of other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in WST. Greenleaf Trust raised its holdings in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 4.1% during the 2nd quarter. Greenleaf Trust now owns 843 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $303,000 after buying an additional 33 shares in the last quarter. New Mexico Educational Retirement Board lifted its position in West Pharmaceutical Services by 9.1% in the 2nd quarter. New Mexico Educational Retirement Board now owns 3,600 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $1,292,000 after buying an additional 300 shares during the last quarter. Mufg Securities Americas Inc. boosted its stake in West Pharmaceutical Services by 6.9% in the second quarter. Mufg Securities Americas Inc. now owns 2,128 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $764,000 after buying an additional 137 shares in the last quarter. Nissay Asset Management Corp Japan boosted its stake in West Pharmaceutical Services by 4.0% in the second quarter. Nissay Asset Management Corp Japan now owns 10,197 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $3,661,000 after buying an additional 395 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Archer Investment Corp bought a new position in West Pharmaceutical Services during the second quarter valued at approximately $360,000. Institutional investors own 93.90% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts have weighed in on WST shares. Citigroup boosted their price target on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services from $400.00 to $412.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Monday, August 3rd. Evercore reaffirmed an "outperform" rating and set a $425.00 price objective on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in a research note on Monday, July 27th. Wolfe Research started coverage on West Pharmaceutical Services in a report on Monday, June 1st. They issued an "outperform" rating and a $375.00 price objective on the stock. Morgan Stanley boosted their target price on West Pharmaceutical Services from $325.00 to $365.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Thursday, July 9th. Finally, BNP Paribas Exane initiated coverage on West Pharmaceutical Services in a report on Monday, July 13th. They set an "outperform" rating and a $447.00 target price for the company. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have issued a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $368.08.

West Pharmaceutical Services Price Performance

Shares of West Pharmaceutical Services stock opened at $341.43 on Tuesday. The firm has a market cap of $24.03 billion, a PE ratio of 43.72, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.36 and a beta of 1.15. West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. has a 12-month low of $223.83 and a 12-month high of $386.00. The company has a quick ratio of 2.12, a current ratio of 2.82 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.07. The company's fifty day simple moving average is $350.79 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $304.68.

West Pharmaceutical Services (NYSE:WST - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 23rd. The medical instruments supplier reported $2.37 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $2.08 by $0.29. The company had revenue of $872.30 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $839.98 million. West Pharmaceutical Services had a return on equity of 20.11% and a net margin of 16.98%.West Pharmaceutical Services's revenue was up 13.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $1.84 EPS. 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. As a group, equities analysts expect that West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. will post 8.93 EPS for the current year.

West Pharmaceutical Services Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, August 5th. Investors of record on Wednesday, July 29th were issued a dividend of $0.22 per share. This represents a $0.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.3%. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, July 29th. West Pharmaceutical Services's dividend payout ratio is currently 11.27%.

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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