BI Asset Management Fondsmaeglerselskab A S Sells 3,623 Shares of West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. $WST

Key Points

• BI Asset Management Fondsmaeglerselskab A S cut its West Pharmaceutical Services stake by 69.5% in the first quarter, selling 3,623 shares and ending with 1,592 shares worth about $399,000.
• West Pharmaceutical Services posted strong quarterly results, with EPS of $2.13 beating estimates by $0.45 and revenue of $844.9 million topping expectations, while revenue rose 21% year over year.
• Analyst sentiment remains upbeat: the stock has a consensus rating of “Buy” with an average price target of $340.09, even as some executives recently sold shares.

BI Asset Management Fondsmaeglerselskab A S decreased its holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST - Free Report) by 69.5% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 1,592 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock after selling 3,623 shares during the quarter. BI Asset Management Fondsmaeglerselskab A S's holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services were worth $399,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Empowered Funds LLC lifted its position in shares of 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 acquiring an additional 224 shares during the period. Intech Investment Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 27.7% during the 1st quarter. Intech Investment Management LLC now owns 6,020 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $1,348,000 after purchasing an additional 1,307 shares in the last quarter. Acadian Asset Management LLC increased its position 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 worth $284,000 after purchasing an additional 157 shares during the period. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC increased its position 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 worth $98,000 after purchasing an additional 197 shares during the period. Finally, First Trust Advisors LP raised its stake in West Pharmaceutical Services by 168.4% in the second quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 46,332 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $10,137,000 after purchasing an additional 29,067 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 93.90% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts have issued reports on the stock. Wolfe Research began coverage on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in a research note on Monday, June 1st. They set an "outperform" rating and a $375.00 price objective on the stock. Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of West Pharmaceutical Services from a "hold (c-)" rating to a "hold (c)" rating in a research report on Monday, April 27th. Stephens reaffirmed an "overweight" rating and set a $360.00 price target on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in a report on Tuesday, June 2nd. Zacks Research upgraded shares of West Pharmaceutical Services from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 13th. Finally, Evercore reissued an "outperform" rating on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in a research note on Friday, April 24th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have assigned a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Buy" and an average price target of $340.09.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other West Pharmaceutical Services news, CAO Chad Winters sold 896 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Monday, April 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $300.67, for a total transaction of $269,400.32. Following the sale, the chief accounting officer owned 1,523 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $457,920.41. The trade was a 37.04% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction 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 business's stock in a transaction on Monday, April 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $305.20, for a total transaction of $859,748.40. Following the sale, the vice president directly owned 16,828 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,135,905.60. The trade was a 14.34% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. 0.60% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

West Pharmaceutical Services Stock Performance

NYSE:WST opened at $347.34 on Friday. West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. has a twelve month low of $206.80 and a twelve month high of $352.31. The company has a quick ratio of 2.04, a current ratio of 2.71 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.07. The stock's 50-day simple moving average is $312.15 and its 200 day simple moving average is $275.06. The firm has a market capitalization of $24.54 billion, a PE ratio of 46.44, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.85 and a beta of 1.18.

West Pharmaceutical Services (NYSE:WST - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, April 23rd. The medical instruments supplier reported $2.13 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.68 by $0.45. The firm 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 business's quarterly revenue was up 21.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $1.45 earnings per share. 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 anticipate that West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. will post 8.6 EPS for the current fiscal year.

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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