Bank of America Corp DE Invests $125.82 Million in West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. $WST

Key Points

• Bank of America purchased 350,482 shares of West Pharmaceutical Services worth approximately $125.8 million, giving it a 0.50% stake. Institutional investors collectively own 93.9% of the company.
• Analysts remain broadly positive, with 11 Buy ratings and three Holds contributing to a “Moderate Buy” consensus and an average price target of $379.08.
• West Pharmaceutical Services exceeded quarterly expectations, reporting $2.37 in EPS and $872.3 million in revenue, while revenue rose 13.8% year over year. The company maintained its quarterly dividend at $0.22 per share.

Bank of America Corp DE purchased a new stake in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST - Free Report) during the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor purchased 350,482 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock, valued at approximately $125,823,000. Bank of America Corp DE owned approximately 0.50% of West Pharmaceutical Services at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in WST. Addison Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in the second quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Avalon Trust Co acquired a new stake in West Pharmaceutical Services in the 2nd quarter valued at about $28,000. Elyxium Wealth LLC purchased a new position in West Pharmaceutical Services in the 4th quarter worth approximately $25,000. Bayban acquired a new stake in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Finally, Cornerstone Planning Group LLC lifted its position in West Pharmaceutical Services by 90.9% during the first quarter. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC now owns 105 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $26,000 after buying an additional 50 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 93.90% of the company's stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, VP Annette Favorite sold 8,135 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, September 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $340.81, for a total value of $2,772,489.35. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president directly owned 16,845 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,740,944.45. The trade was a 32.57% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Insiders sold a total of 15,659 shares of company stock valued at $5,443,749 over the last three months. 0.60% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts have issued reports on the company. Weiss Ratings raised West Pharmaceutical Services from a "hold (c)" rating to a "hold (c+)" rating in a research note on Friday, August 7th. Barclays upgraded shares of West Pharmaceutical Services from an "equal weight" rating to an "overweight" rating and upped their target price for the company from $310.00 to $400.00 in a report on Tuesday, June 9th. KeyCorp upped their price objective on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services from $350.00 to $390.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Thursday, July 2nd. Wolfe Research began coverage on West Pharmaceutical Services in a report on Monday, June 1st. They issued an "outperform" rating and a $375.00 price target on the stock. Finally, Stephens reissued an "overweight" rating and issued a $360.00 price objective on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in a research report on Tuesday, June 2nd. Eleven investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $379.08.

West Pharmaceutical Services Trading Down 1.3%

WST opened at $361.82 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $25.47 billion, a PE ratio of 46.33, a PEG ratio of 2.56 and a beta of 1.14. The company has a current ratio of 2.82, a quick ratio of 2.12 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.07. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $349.08 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $314.26. West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. has a 1-year low of $223.83 and a 1-year high of $386.00.

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 for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $2.08 by $0.29. The firm had revenue of $872.30 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $839.98 million. West Pharmaceutical Services had a net margin of 16.98% and a return on equity of 20.11%. The business's revenue was up 13.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $1.84 earnings per share. 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 anticipate that West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. will post 8.93 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

West Pharmaceutical Services Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, August 5th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, July 29th were given a $0.22 dividend. This represents a $0.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.2%. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, July 29th. West Pharmaceutical Services's payout ratio is presently 11.27%.

About West Pharmaceutical Services

West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc NYSE: WST develops and manufactures components and systems used to package, contain and deliver injectable medicines and other healthcare products. Its customers include pharmaceutical, biotechnology and medical device companies, which use West products in drug administration and medical applications.

The company's offerings include elastomer components such as stoppers, plungers and seals; syringe and cartridge components; vial and container closure systems; and specialized delivery systems for injectable and other complex medicines.

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