AMI Asset Management Corp Has $43.76 Million Stake in West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. $WST

Key Points

• AMI Asset Management trimmed its Q4 stake in West Pharmaceutical Services by 2.4% and now holds 159,039 shares valued at $43.76 million, about 0.22% of the company and 2.5% of AMI’s portfolio.
• West beat Q4 expectations with $2.04 EPS versus $1.83 expected and $805M revenue (up 7.5% YoY), and set FY2026 guidance of $7.85–$8.20 EPS.
• The board authorized a $1.00 billion buyback (up to 5.6% of shares) and declared a quarterly dividend of $0.22 ($0.88 annual, ~0.3% yield); analysts’ consensus rating is "Buy" with an average target of $314.56.

AMI Asset Management Corp decreased its position in West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST - Free Report) by 2.4% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 159,039 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock after selling 3,961 shares during the quarter. West Pharmaceutical Services comprises approximately 2.5% of AMI Asset Management Corp's investment portfolio, making the stock its 17th biggest position. AMI Asset Management Corp owned about 0.22% of West Pharmaceutical Services worth $43,758,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. boosted its holdings in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 99.8% in the 4th quarter. Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. now owns 12,879 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $3,544,000 after purchasing an additional 6,433 shares in the last quarter. Apollon Wealth Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 11.0% in the 4th quarter. Apollon Wealth Management LLC now owns 971 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $267,000 after purchasing an additional 96 shares in the last quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in the 4th quarter valued at $643,000. OFI Invest Asset Management acquired a new stake in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in the 4th quarter valued at $19,964,000. Finally, Darwin Wealth Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of 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 valued at $113,000 after purchasing an additional 40 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 93.90% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts have weighed in on the company. Barclays reduced their target price on West Pharmaceutical Services from $325.00 to $265.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, February 13th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a "hold (c)" rating on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in a report on Friday, January 9th. Zacks Research raised West Pharmaceutical Services from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, January 21st. Jefferies Financial Group reaffirmed a "buy" rating and issued a $295.00 target price on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in a report on Tuesday, February 10th. Finally, Evercore reduced their target price on West Pharmaceutical Services from $390.00 to $320.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, February 3rd. Three investment 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, the stock has an average rating of "Buy" and an average target price of $314.56.

West Pharmaceutical Services Trading Up 1.3%

Shares of NYSE WST opened at $259.84 on Tuesday. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $246.34 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $261.48. The stock has a market cap of $18.73 billion, a P/E ratio of 38.27, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.73 and a beta of 1.15. West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. has a 52-week low of $193.05 and a 52-week high of $322.34. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.06, a quick ratio of 2.34 and a current ratio of 3.02.

West Pharmaceutical Services (NYSE:WST - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 12th. The medical instruments supplier reported $2.04 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.83 by $0.21. The company had revenue of $805.00 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $795.70 million. West Pharmaceutical Services had a net margin of 16.06% and a return on equity of 17.90%. West Pharmaceutical Services's revenue was up 7.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $1.82 earnings per share. 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 EPS for the current year.

West Pharmaceutical Services Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, May 6th. Investors of record on Wednesday, April 29th will be given a dividend of $0.22 per share. This represents a $0.88 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.3%. 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 declared that its Board of Directors has initiated a stock buyback program on Tuesday, February 17th that authorizes the company to buyback $1.00 billion in shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the medical instruments supplier to repurchase up to 5.6% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback programs are often an indication that the company's leadership believes its shares are undervalued.

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.

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