California State Teachers Retirement System Purchases 40,481,855 Shares of West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. $WST

Key Points

• California State Teachers Retirement System increased its West Pharmaceutical Services stake by 40.5 million shares in the second quarter, bringing its holdings to 40.6 million shares, or 57.68% of the company. Institutional investors collectively own 93.9% of WST.
• West Pharmaceutical Services reported stronger-than-expected quarterly results, with EPS of $2.37 versus the $2.08 consensus and revenue of $872.3 million, up 13.8% year over year. The company guided for fiscal 2026 EPS of $8.85–$9.05.
• WST shares opened at $339.90, while analysts maintain a “Moderate Buy” consensus rating with an average price target of $368.08. The company also pays a quarterly dividend of $0.22 per share, yielding approximately 0.3%.

California State Teachers Retirement System boosted its position in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST - Free Report) by 36,590.8% in the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 40,592,489 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock after purchasing an additional 40,481,855 shares during the quarter. California State Teachers Retirement System owned 57.68% of West Pharmaceutical Services worth $14,572,704,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of WST. BlackRock Inc. acquired a new stake in West Pharmaceutical Services in the second quarter worth $2,387,990,000. State Street Corp increased its position in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 2.1% in the 2nd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 3,271,866 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $715,884,000 after buying an additional 68,330 shares in the last quarter. Artisan Partners Limited Partnership increased its position in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 2.9% in the 4th quarter. Artisan Partners Limited Partnership now owns 2,850,401 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $784,259,000 after buying an additional 79,481 shares in the last quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp acquired a new stake in West Pharmaceutical Services during the 2nd quarter worth $733,733,000. Finally, Generation Investment Management LLP acquired a new stake in West Pharmaceutical Services during the 2nd quarter worth $728,168,000. Institutional investors own 93.90% of the company's stock.

West Pharmaceutical Services Stock Down 0.0%

Shares of West Pharmaceutical Services stock opened at $339.90 on Tuesday. The firm has a market cap of $23.92 billion, a PE ratio of 43.52, a P/E/G ratio of 2.38 and a beta of 1.14. The business's 50 day simple moving average is $350.25 and its 200 day simple moving average is $308.00. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.07, a quick ratio of 2.12 and a current ratio of 2.82. West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. has a 52-week low of $223.83 and a 52-week high of $386.00.

West Pharmaceutical Services (NYSE:WST - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 23rd. The medical instruments supplier reported $2.37 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $2.08 by $0.29. The firm had revenue of $872.30 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $839.98 million. West Pharmaceutical Services had a return on equity of 20.11% and a net margin of 16.98%.The business's revenue was up 13.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $1.84 EPS. 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, analysts predict that West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. will post 8.93 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

West Pharmaceutical Services Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, August 5th. Investors of record on Wednesday, July 29th were issued a dividend of $0.22 per share. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, July 29th. This represents a $0.88 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.3%. West Pharmaceutical Services's dividend payout ratio is presently 11.27%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts have issued reports on WST shares. Weiss Ratings raised West Pharmaceutical Services from a "hold (c)" rating to a "hold (c+)" rating in a research note on Friday, August 7th. Evercore reaffirmed an "outperform" rating and set a $425.00 price target on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in a research report on Monday, July 27th. KeyCorp lifted their price objective on West Pharmaceutical Services from $350.00 to $390.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Thursday, July 2nd. Zacks Research lowered West Pharmaceutical Services from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 12th. Finally, Wolfe Research initiated coverage on West Pharmaceutical Services in a research note on Monday, June 1st. They set an "outperform" rating and a $375.00 target price for the company. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have given a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target 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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