Bank of New York Mellon Corp Trims Holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. $WST

Key Points

• Bank of New York Mellon reduced its stake in West Pharmaceutical Services by 8.4% in the fourth quarter, selling 242,674 shares and leaving it with 2.66 million shares valued at about $732.4 million.
• West Pharmaceutical Services reported better-than-expected Q1 results, with EPS of $2.13 versus $1.68 expected and revenue of $844.9 million versus $779.68 million expected, while revenue rose 21% year over year.
• The company also has a $1 billion share repurchase authorization, and analysts remain constructive overall with a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and a target price of $331.91.

Bank of New York Mellon Corp cut its holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST - Free Report) by 8.4% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 2,662,035 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock after selling 242,674 shares during the quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp owned approximately 3.70% of West Pharmaceutical Services worth $732,432,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the business. Elyxium Wealth LLC purchased a new stake in West Pharmaceutical Services during the 4th quarter valued at about $25,000. Private Trust Co. NA grew its position in West Pharmaceutical Services by 156.4% during the 4th quarter. Private Trust Co. NA now owns 100 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $28,000 after purchasing an additional 61 shares during the last quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC purchased a new stake in West Pharmaceutical Services during the 4th quarter valued at about $31,000. CYBER HORNET ETFs LLC purchased a new stake in West Pharmaceutical Services during the 2nd quarter valued at about $25,000. Finally, Torren Management LLC purchased a new stake in West Pharmaceutical Services during the 4th quarter valued at about $34,000. 93.90% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts recently commented on the stock. Citigroup reissued a "buy" rating on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in a research report on Friday, April 24th. Morgan Stanley upped their target price on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services from $315.00 to $325.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Friday, May 29th. Wolfe Research initiated coverage on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in a research note on Monday. They set an "outperform" rating and a $375.00 target price on the stock. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft restated a "buy" rating and set a $315.00 target price on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in a research note on Friday, February 13th. Finally, UBS Group restated a "buy" rating and set a $340.00 target price on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in a research note on Friday, February 13th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have given a Buy rating and three have assigned a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $331.91.

Insider Activity at West Pharmaceutical Services

In other news, VP Annette F. Favorite sold 2,817 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, April 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $305.20, for a total value of $859,748.40. Following the transaction, the vice president owned 16,828 shares in the company, valued at $5,135,905.60. This represents a 14.34% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, CAO Chad Winters sold 896 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, April 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $300.67, for a total transaction of $269,400.32. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer owned 1,523 shares in the company, valued at $457,920.41. This trade represents a 37.04% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. 0.60% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

West Pharmaceutical Services Price Performance

WST opened at $316.66 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.07, a quick ratio of 2.04 and a current ratio of 2.71. The stock has a market capitalization of $22.37 billion, a P/E ratio of 42.33, a P/E/G ratio of 2.61 and a beta of 1.18. The company's 50-day simple moving average is $288.08 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $268.56. West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. has a 52-week low of $206.80 and a 52-week high of $330.88.

West Pharmaceutical Services (NYSE:WST - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data 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. West Pharmaceutical Services had a net margin of 16.85% and a return on equity of 19.03%. The firm had revenue of $844.90 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $779.68 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $1.45 EPS. The business's quarterly revenue was up 21.0% on a year-over-year basis. 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. As a group, analysts predict that West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. will post 8.6 EPS for the current year.

West Pharmaceutical Services declared that its Board of Directors has authorized a stock buyback program on Tuesday, February 17th that allows the company to repurchase $1.00 billion in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization allows the medical instruments supplier to buy up to 5.6% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase programs are often a sign 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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