Assenagon Asset Management S.A. Has $23.25 Million Position in West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. $WST

Key Points

• Assenagon Asset Management cut its West Pharmaceutical Services stake by 52.9% in the second quarter, selling 72,807 shares and retaining 64,754 shares worth approximately $23.25 million. Institutional investors collectively own 93.9% of the company.
• Analysts remain broadly positive, with the stock carrying a consensus “Buy” rating and an average price target of $368.08. Recent ratings included “Strong Buy,” “Buy,” “Overweight,” and “Outperform.”
• West Pharmaceutical Services exceeded quarterly expectations, reporting $2.37 in adjusted earnings per share and $872.3 million in revenue, up 13.8% year over year. The company also declared a quarterly dividend of $0.22 per share, equivalent to a 0.2% yield.

Assenagon Asset Management S.A. decreased its position in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST - Free Report) by 52.9% in the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 64,754 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock after selling 72,807 shares during the period. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. owned 0.09% of West Pharmaceutical Services worth $23,247,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Elyxium Wealth LLC acquired a new position in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services during the 4th quarter worth about $25,000. CYBER HORNET ETFs LLC bought a new position in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services during the 2nd quarter worth about $25,000. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC increased its holdings in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 90.9% during the 1st quarter. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC now owns 105 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 50 shares during the period. Bayban acquired a new position in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services during the fourth quarter valued at about $27,000. Finally, Private Trust Co. NA boosted its stake in West Pharmaceutical Services by 156.4% during the fourth quarter. Private Trust Co. NA now owns 100 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $28,000 after buying an additional 61 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 93.90% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts have weighed in on WST shares. TD Cowen reaffirmed a "buy" rating on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in a report on Wednesday, July 15th. Zacks Research raised West Pharmaceutical Services from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, May 13th. Stephens reaffirmed an "overweight" rating and issued a $360.00 price target on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in a research note on Tuesday, June 2nd. Wolfe Research initiated coverage on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in a report on Monday, June 1st. They set an "outperform" rating and a $375.00 price target for the company. Finally, Weiss Ratings raised shares of West Pharmaceutical Services from a "hold (c)" rating to a "hold (c+)" rating in a report on Friday. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of "Buy" and a consensus target price of $368.08.

West Pharmaceutical Services Trading Down 0.1%

Shares of WST opened at $353.61 on Monday. West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. has a 12-month low of $223.83 and a 12-month high of $386.00. The stock's fifty day simple moving average is $342.97 and its 200-day simple moving average is $292.48. 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 firm has a market capitalization of $24.89 billion, a PE ratio of 45.28, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.47 and a beta of 1.15.

West Pharmaceutical Services (NYSE:WST - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 23rd. The medical instruments supplier reported $2.37 earnings per share for the quarter, beating 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 business had revenue of $872.30 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $839.98 million. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $1.84 earnings per share. West Pharmaceutical Services's revenue was up 13.8% compared to the same quarter last year. 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, research analysts predict that West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. will post 8.94 earnings per share for the current year.

West Pharmaceutical Services Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, August 5th. Investors of record on Wednesday, July 29th were paid 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 yield of 0.2%. West Pharmaceutical Services's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 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.

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