AMI Asset Management Corp Sells 4,638 Shares of West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. $WST

Key Points

• AMI Asset Management Corp reduced its stake in West Pharmaceutical Services by 2.9% in the first quarter, selling 4,638 shares and leaving it with 154,401 shares worth about $38.7 million.
• Despite that trim, institutional ownership remains very high: hedge funds and other institutions own 93.9% of West Pharmaceutical Services, and several firms recently increased their positions.
• Analysts remain bullish on WST, with a consensus “Buy” rating and an average price target of $340.09, while the stock recently traded near its 52-week high after stronger-than-expected quarterly earnings.

AMI Asset Management Corp lowered its position in West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST - Free Report) by 2.9% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 154,401 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock after selling 4,638 shares during the period. West Pharmaceutical Services accounts for about 2.5% of AMI Asset Management Corp's holdings, making the stock its 20th biggest position. AMI Asset Management Corp owned approximately 0.21% of West Pharmaceutical Services worth $38,699,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

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

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts have recently commented on WST shares. Evercore reiterated an "outperform" rating on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in a report on Friday, April 24th. Weiss Ratings raised West Pharmaceutical Services from a "hold (c-)" rating to a "hold (c)" rating in a research report on Monday, April 27th. Citigroup reiterated a "buy" rating on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in a report on Friday, April 24th. Wolfe Research started coverage on West Pharmaceutical Services in a research report on Monday, June 1st. They issued an "outperform" rating and a $375.00 price objective on the stock. Finally, Stephens restated an "overweight" rating and issued a $360.00 price objective on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in a research note on Tuesday, June 2nd. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have issued a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Buy" and a consensus target price of $340.09.

West Pharmaceutical Services Stock Performance

NYSE:WST opened at $355.00 on Tuesday. The company has a market capitalization of $25.08 billion, a P/E ratio of 47.46, a P/E/G ratio of 2.94 and a beta of 1.18. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $315.55 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $276.26. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.07, a current ratio of 2.71 and a quick ratio of 2.04. West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. has a 1 year low of $206.80 and a 1 year high of $355.12.

West Pharmaceutical Services (NYSE:WST - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 23rd. The medical instruments supplier reported $2.13 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.68 by $0.45. The company had revenue of $844.90 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $779.67 million. West Pharmaceutical Services had a return on equity of 19.03% and a net margin of 16.85%.The firm's quarterly revenue was up 21.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $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. On average, analysts expect that West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. will post 8.6 earnings per share for the current year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, CAO Chad Winters sold 896 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, April 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $300.67, for a total value 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 ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, VP Annette F. Favorite sold 2,817 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Monday, April 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $305.20, for a total transaction of $859,748.40. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president directly owned 16,828 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $5,135,905.60. The trade was a 14.34% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders own 0.60% of the company's stock.

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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