Brendel Financial Advisors LLC Acquires New Holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. $WST

Key Points

• Brendel Financial Advisors LLC initiated a new position in West Pharmaceutical Services (NYSE:WST), buying 13,599 shares worth about $3.74 million, which represents roughly 1.8% of the firm's holdings and is its 24th largest position.
• West topped Q results with $2.04 EPS (vs. $1.83 est.) and $805M revenue (+7.5% YoY) and set FY2026 guidance of 7.85–8.20 EPS; the board also authorized a $1.00 billion share buyback (up to 5.6% of shares) and declared a $0.22 quarterly dividend (0.3% yield).
• Institutional investors own about 93.9% of WST, with major managers (Vanguard, Artisan, AQR) increasing stakes, and analysts' consensus is a "Buy" with an average price target of $315.67.

Brendel Financial Advisors LLC acquired a new position in West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST - Free Report) in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund acquired 13,599 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock, valued at approximately $3,742,000. West Pharmaceutical Services makes up about 1.8% of Brendel Financial Advisors LLC's holdings, making the stock its 24th largest holding.

A number of other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of WST. Artisan Partners Limited Partnership raised its position in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 22.2% in the 3rd quarter. Artisan Partners Limited Partnership now owns 2,770,920 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $726,895,000 after acquiring an additional 503,601 shares in the last quarter. Steadfast Capital Management LP purchased a new stake in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services during the 3rd quarter worth $123,667,000. AQR Capital Management LLC boosted its position in West Pharmaceutical Services by 420.1% during the third quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 545,879 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $142,949,000 after purchasing an additional 440,929 shares in the last quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its position in West Pharmaceutical Services by 4.2% during the third quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 9,704,948 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $2,545,899,000 after purchasing an additional 388,144 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Woodline Partners LP purchased a new position in West Pharmaceutical Services in the third quarter valued at about $66,164,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 93.90% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts have commented on WST shares. Weiss Ratings reiterated a "hold (c)" rating on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in a report on Friday, January 9th. Zacks Research raised shares of West Pharmaceutical Services from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 21st. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reiterated a "buy" rating and set a $315.00 price objective on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in a research note on Friday, February 13th. Jefferies Financial Group reissued a "buy" rating and set a $295.00 target price on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in a research report on Tuesday, February 10th. Finally, UBS Group restated a "buy" rating and issued a $340.00 target price on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in a research note on Friday, February 13th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have issued a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of "Buy" and an average price target of $315.67.

West Pharmaceutical Services Trading Up 3.0%

Shares of NYSE:WST opened at $267.83 on Wednesday. The business's 50-day moving average is $247.08 and its 200 day moving average is $261.52. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.06, a current ratio of 3.02 and a quick ratio of 2.34. West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. has a 1 year low of $193.05 and a 1 year high of $322.34. The firm has a market capitalization of $19.31 billion, a P/E ratio of 39.44, a P/E/G ratio of 2.76 and a beta of 1.15.

West Pharmaceutical Services (NYSE:WST - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 12th. The medical instruments supplier reported $2.04 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.83 by $0.21. West Pharmaceutical Services had a return on equity of 17.90% and a net margin of 16.06%.The business had revenue of $805.00 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $795.70 million. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $1.82 earnings per share. The company's quarterly revenue was up 7.5% on a year-over-year basis. West Pharmaceutical Services has set its FY 2026 guidance at 7.850-8.200 EPS. On average, research analysts predict that West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. will post 6.62 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

West Pharmaceutical Services Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, May 6th. Investors of record on Wednesday, April 29th will be paid a $0.22 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, April 29th. This represents a $0.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.3%. West Pharmaceutical Services's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 12.96%.

West Pharmaceutical Services declared that its Board of Directors has initiated a share buyback plan on Tuesday, February 17th that authorizes the company to buyback $1.00 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the medical instruments supplier to buy up to 5.6% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback plans are generally a sign that the company's management believes its stock is 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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