Conestoga Capital Advisors LLC Acquires 22,008 Shares of West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. $WST

Key Points

• Conestoga Capital Advisors LLC increased its stake in West Pharmaceutical by 21.8%, buying 22,008 shares to own 122,791 shares valued at about $33.8 million (≈0.17% of the company) at quarter-end.
• West beat Q1 expectations with $2.13 EPS vs $1.68 consensus and revenue of $844.9M (+21% YoY), and set FY2026 guidance of $8.40–$8.75 EPS (analysts project ~8.61).
• The board authorized a $1.0 billion share buyback (up to 5.6% of shares) and declared a $0.22 quarterly dividend (0.3% yield), even as insiders have recently sold shares; market cap is about $21.0B and the average analyst price target is ~$322.89.

Conestoga Capital Advisors LLC raised its holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST - Free Report) by 21.8% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 122,791 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock after buying an additional 22,008 shares during the quarter. Conestoga Capital Advisors LLC owned about 0.17% of West Pharmaceutical Services worth $33,785,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its position in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 4.2% in the 3rd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 9,704,948 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $2,545,899,000 after buying an additional 388,144 shares during the last quarter. State Street Corp boosted its position in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 2.1% during the second quarter. State Street Corp now owns 3,271,866 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $715,884,000 after purchasing an additional 68,330 shares in the last quarter. Artisan Partners Limited Partnership boosted its position in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 22.2% during the third quarter. Artisan Partners Limited Partnership now owns 2,770,920 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $726,895,000 after purchasing an additional 503,601 shares in the last quarter. Durable Capital Partners LP boosted its position in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 12.7% during the third quarter. Durable Capital Partners LP now owns 1,172,583 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $307,604,000 after purchasing an additional 131,935 shares in the last quarter. Finally, TD Asset Management Inc boosted its position in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 26.1% during the third quarter. TD Asset Management Inc now owns 606,332 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $159,059,000 after purchasing an additional 125,398 shares in the last quarter. 93.90% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

West Pharmaceutical Services Trading Up 0.7%

West Pharmaceutical Services stock opened at $297.43 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 $257.16 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $263.24. West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. has a 12 month low of $202.79 and a 12 month high of $322.34. The company has a market capitalization of $21.01 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 39.76, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.47 and a beta of 1.15.

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 8.61 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

West Pharmaceutical Services announced that its board has approved a stock buyback program on Tuesday, February 17th that authorizes the company to repurchase $1.00 billion in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization authorizes the medical instruments supplier to repurchase up to 5.6% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase programs are typically a sign that the company's management believes its stock is undervalued.

West Pharmaceutical Services Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, May 6th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, April 29th will be issued a $0.22 dividend. This represents a $0.88 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.3%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, April 29th. West Pharmaceutical Services's payout ratio is 11.76%.

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.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

WST has been the topic of several research reports. Evercore restated an "outperform" rating on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in a research report on Friday, April 24th. 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. UBS Group restated a "buy" rating and set a $340.00 price target on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in a research report on Friday, February 13th. Barclays lifted their price target on West Pharmaceutical Services from $275.00 to $310.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Monday. Finally, Zacks Research lowered West Pharmaceutical Services from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 14th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have assigned a Buy rating and four have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $322.89.

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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