CIBC Asset Management Inc Acquires 6,915 Shares of West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. $WST

Key Points

• CIBC Asset Management increased its West Pharmaceutical Services stake by 68.9% in Q4, buying 6,915 additional shares and bringing its total holding to 16,956 shares worth about $4.67 million.
• West Pharmaceutical Services reported strong quarterly results, with EPS of $2.13 beating estimates and revenue of $844.9 million topping expectations; revenue rose 21% year over year.
• The company also authorized a $1 billion share buyback, while analysts currently rate the stock a consensus Moderate Buy with a target price of $331.91.

CIBC Asset Management Inc raised its holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST - Free Report) by 68.9% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 16,956 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock after buying an additional 6,915 shares during the quarter. CIBC Asset Management Inc's holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services were worth $4,665,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in WST. Elyxium Wealth LLC bought a new stake in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $25,000. CYBER HORNET ETFs LLC bought a new stake in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services during the second quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Private Trust Co. NA boosted its position in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 156.4% during the fourth 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 in the last quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Finally, Torren Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $34,000. 93.90% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling at West Pharmaceutical Services

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 stock was sold at an average price of $300.67, for a total value of $269,400.32. Following the sale, the chief accounting officer directly 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 legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. 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 value of $859,748.40. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president directly owned 16,828 shares in the company, valued at $5,135,905.60. This trade represents a 14.34% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders own 0.60% of the company's stock.

West Pharmaceutical Services Trading Down 0.8%

West Pharmaceutical Services stock opened at $314.64 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 2.71, a quick ratio of 2.04 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.07. The business's fifty day simple moving average is $290.87 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $269.27. West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. has a 12 month low of $206.80 and a 12 month high of $330.88. The company has a market capitalization of $22.23 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 42.06, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.63 and a beta of 1.18.

West Pharmaceutical Services (NYSE:WST - Get Free Report) last released 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. West Pharmaceutical Services had a return on equity of 19.03% and a net margin of 16.85%.The business had revenue of $844.90 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $779.68 million. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $1.45 earnings per share. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 21.0% compared to the same quarter last year. 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, equities analysts predict that West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. will post 8.6 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

West Pharmaceutical Services declared that its board has authorized a stock buyback program on Tuesday, February 17th that allows the company to repurchase $1.00 billion in 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 usually a sign that the company's board of directors believes its shares are undervalued.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms recently weighed in on WST. Zacks Research upgraded West Pharmaceutical Services from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 13th. Jefferies Financial Group restated a "buy" rating and set a $295.00 price target on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in a research report on Tuesday, February 10th. Morgan Stanley lifted their price target on West Pharmaceutical Services from $315.00 to $325.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Friday, May 29th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft restated a "buy" rating and set a $315.00 price target on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in a research report on Friday, February 13th. Finally, Evercore restated an "outperform" rating on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in a research report on Friday, April 24th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have assigned a Buy rating and three have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $331.91.

About West Pharmaceutical Services

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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