Conestoga Capital Advisors LLC Purchases 8,179 Shares of West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. $WST

Key Points

• Conestoga Capital Advisors increased its stake in West Pharmaceutical Services by 6.7% in the first quarter, buying 8,179 additional shares and bringing its holdings to 130,970 shares worth about $32.8 million.
• West Pharmaceutical Services has seen broad institutional buying interest, with 93.9% of shares held by institutional investors and several funds recently boosting or initiating positions.
• Analysts remain bullish on WST after strong quarterly results, with multiple firms raising price targets and the consensus rating standing at “Buy” with a target price of $340.09, while the stock traded near $365.

Conestoga Capital Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST - Free Report) by 6.7% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 130,970 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock after buying an additional 8,179 shares during the period. Conestoga Capital Advisors LLC owned about 0.18% of West Pharmaceutical Services worth $32,826,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. Holocene Advisors LP acquired a new position in West Pharmaceutical Services during the third quarter worth $49,085,000. Nordea Investment Management AB grew its position in West Pharmaceutical Services by 42.7% in the fourth quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 14,950 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $4,122,000 after purchasing an additional 4,477 shares in the last quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased its stake in West Pharmaceutical Services by 7.7% in the 3rd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 236,963 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $62,163,000 after buying an additional 16,919 shares during the last quarter. Birch Hill Investment Advisors LLC increased its stake in West Pharmaceutical Services by 11.5% in the 4th quarter. Birch Hill Investment Advisors LLC now owns 152,148 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $41,862,000 after buying an additional 15,678 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Brendel Financial Advisors LLC bought a new stake in West Pharmaceutical Services during the 4th quarter worth about $3,742,000. 93.90% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

WST has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. Barclays upgraded shares of West Pharmaceutical Services from an "equal weight" rating to an "overweight" rating and increased their price objective for the stock from $310.00 to $400.00 in a research note on Tuesday, June 9th. Evercore reiterated an "outperform" rating on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in a report on Friday, April 24th. Wolfe Research initiated coverage on West Pharmaceutical Services in a research report on Monday, June 1st. They set an "outperform" rating and a $375.00 price target for the company. Citigroup restated a "buy" rating on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in a research note on Friday, April 24th. Finally, Stephens reaffirmed an "overweight" rating and set a $360.00 price target on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in a research report on Tuesday, June 2nd. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have given a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of "Buy" and a consensus price target of $340.09.

West Pharmaceutical Services Stock Up 1.7%

Shares of WST stock opened at $365.03 on Thursday. West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. has a 52-week low of $206.80 and a 52-week high of $365.49. The stock has a market cap of $25.79 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 48.80, a PEG ratio of 3.00 and a beta of 1.16. The firm's 50-day moving average is $318.99 and its 200-day moving average is $277.56. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.07, a quick ratio of 2.04 and a current ratio of 2.71.

West Pharmaceutical Services (NYSE:WST - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 23rd. The medical instruments supplier reported $2.13 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.68 by $0.45. The business had revenue of $844.90 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $779.67 million. West Pharmaceutical Services had a return on equity of 19.03% and a net margin of 16.85%.West Pharmaceutical Services's quarterly revenue was up 21.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $1.45 earnings per share. 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. Sell-side analysts predict that West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. will post 8.6 EPS for the current year.

Insider Activity at West Pharmaceutical Services

In other West Pharmaceutical Services news, VP Annette F. Favorite sold 2,817 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Monday, April 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $305.20, for a total transaction of $859,748.40. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president owned 16,828 shares of the company's stock, valued at $5,135,905.60. This trade represents a 14.34% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CAO Chad Winters sold 896 shares of West Pharmaceutical Services stock in a transaction on Monday, April 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $300.67, for a total transaction of $269,400.32. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer directly owned 1,523 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $457,920.41. This trade represents a 37.04% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders own 0.60% of the company's stock.

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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