Bank of America Corp DE Sells 150,033 Shares of West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. $WST

Key Points

• Bank of America reduced its West Pharmaceutical Services stake by 28.2%, selling 150,033 shares in the first quarter and retaining 381,813 shares valued at approximately $95.7 million. Institutional investors collectively own 93.9% of the company.
• West Pharmaceutical Services exceeded quarterly expectations, reporting $2.37 in earnings per share on $872.3 million in revenue, with revenue rising 13.8% year over year. The company guided for fiscal 2026 EPS of $8.85–$9.05.
• Analysts maintain a generally positive outlook, with a consensus “Buy” rating and a $368.08 price target. The company also declared a quarterly dividend of $0.22 per share, equivalent to a 0.2% yield.

Bank of America Corp DE cut its holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST - Free Report) by 28.2% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 381,813 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock after selling 150,033 shares during the period. Bank of America Corp DE owned approximately 0.54% of West Pharmaceutical Services worth $95,698,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the business. Empowered Funds LLC increased its holdings in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 16.1% during the first quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 1,611 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $361,000 after purchasing an additional 224 shares during the period. Intech Investment Management LLC raised its position in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 27.7% in 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 in the last quarter. Acadian Asset Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 14.1% in the first quarter. Acadian Asset Management LLC now owns 1,271 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $284,000 after buying an additional 157 shares during the period. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its stake in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 78.2% in the second quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 449 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $98,000 after buying an additional 197 shares during the period. Finally, First Trust Advisors LP grew its position in West Pharmaceutical Services by 168.4% during the second quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 46,332 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $10,137,000 after buying an additional 29,067 shares in the last quarter. 93.90% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

West Pharmaceutical Services Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:WST opened at $353.61 on Friday. West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. has a 1 year low of $223.83 and a 1 year high of $386.00. The stock has a market capitalization of $24.89 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 45.28, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.47 and a beta of 1.15. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.07, a current ratio of 2.82 and a quick ratio of 2.12. The company's 50 day simple moving average is $342.97 and its 200 day simple moving average is $292.25.

West Pharmaceutical Services (NYSE:WST - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Thursday, July 23rd. The medical instruments supplier reported $2.37 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.08 by $0.29. The firm had revenue of $872.30 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $839.98 million. West Pharmaceutical Services had a return on equity of 20.11% and a net margin of 16.98%.The company's quarterly revenue was up 13.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $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, research analysts predict that West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. will post 8.94 EPS for the current fiscal year.

West Pharmaceutical Services Dividend Announcement

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

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms have commented on WST. KeyCorp raised their price objective on West Pharmaceutical Services from $350.00 to $390.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Thursday, July 2nd. Stephens reiterated an "overweight" rating and set a $360.00 target price on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in a research report on Tuesday, June 2nd. Morgan Stanley increased their target price on West Pharmaceutical Services from $325.00 to $365.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a report on Thursday, July 9th. Evercore restated an "outperform" rating and issued a $425.00 price target on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in a research report on Monday, July 27th. Finally, Barclays raised West Pharmaceutical Services from an "equal weight" rating to an "overweight" rating and boosted their price target for the company from $310.00 to $400.00 in a research note on Tuesday, June 9th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have issued a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of "Buy" and a consensus target price of $368.08.

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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