West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. $WST Stock Holdings Increased by California State Teachers Retirement System

California State Teachers Retirement System raised its holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST - Free Report) by 2.2% during the second quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 113,071 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock after buying an additional 2,437 shares during the quarter. California State Teachers Retirement System owned 0.16% of West Pharmaceutical Services worth $40,592,489 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in WST. Bank of Nova Scotia increased its holdings in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 337.8% during the first quarter. Bank of Nova Scotia now owns 65,323 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $16,373,000 after buying an additional 50,402 shares in the last quarter. Hsbc Holdings PLC boosted its holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services by 23.3% in the fourth quarter. Hsbc Holdings PLC now owns 146,872 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $40,425,000 after acquiring an additional 27,745 shares in the last quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC grew its position in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 100.2% during the 1st quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC now owns 209,660 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $52,549,000 after acquiring an additional 104,924 shares during the period. Conestoga Capital Advisors LLC lifted its position in West Pharmaceutical Services by 6.7% during the first quarter. Conestoga Capital Advisors LLC now owns 130,970 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $32,826,000 after purchasing an additional 8,179 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Ilmarinen Mutual Pension Insurance Co purchased a new stake in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in the 4th quarter worth approximately $3,027,000. Institutional investors own 93.90% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts recently weighed in on the company. TD Cowen restated a "buy" rating on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in a research note on Wednesday, July 15th. Citigroup increased their price objective on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services from $400.00 to $412.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Monday, August 3rd. Weiss Ratings upgraded West Pharmaceutical Services from a "hold (c)" rating to a "hold (c+)" rating in a report on Friday, August 7th. Zacks Research cut West Pharmaceutical Services from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Wednesday, August 12th. Finally, Barclays raised West Pharmaceutical Services from an "equal weight" rating to an "overweight" rating and raised their price target for the stock from $310.00 to $400.00 in a report on Tuesday, June 9th. Eleven analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $379.08.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other West Pharmaceutical Services news, VP Annette Favorite sold 8,135 shares of West Pharmaceutical Services stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, September 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $340.81, for a total transaction of $2,772,489.35. Following the completion of the sale, 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 legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. 0.60% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

West Pharmaceutical Services Stock Performance

WST traded up $13.73 on Tuesday, hitting $368.94. 418,469 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 836,833. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $348.42 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $311.52. The firm has a market capitalization of $25.96 billion, a PE ratio of 47.23, a P/E/G ratio of 2.42 and a beta of 1.14. West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. has a 52 week low of $223.83 and a 52 week high of $386.00. The company has a current ratio of 2.82, a quick ratio of 2.12 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.07.

West Pharmaceutical Services (NYSE:WST - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 23rd. The medical instruments supplier reported $2.37 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.08 by $0.29. The company 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 company's revenue was up 13.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm 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. On average, research analysts predict that West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. will post 8.93 EPS for the current fiscal year.

West Pharmaceutical Services Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, August 5th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, July 29th were issued 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 of this dividend was Wednesday, July 29th. West Pharmaceutical Services's dividend payout ratio is 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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