Fideuram Intesa Sanpaolo Private Banking S.P.A. Acquires Shares of 34,752 West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. $WST

Key Points

• Fideuram Intesa Sanpaolo Private Banking initiated a new position in West Pharmaceutical Services, buying 34,752 shares worth about $9.56 million in the fourth quarter.
• West Pharmaceutical Services posted better-than-expected quarterly results, with EPS of $2.13 versus $1.68 expected and revenue of $844.9 million, up 21% year over year.
• The company also announced a $1 billion share buyback program, while analysts maintain a Moderate Buy consensus with a target price of about $322.89.

Fideuram Intesa Sanpaolo Private Banking S.P.A. acquired a new stake in West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST - Free Report) during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund acquired 34,752 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock, valued at approximately $9,562,000.

A number of other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of WST. Empowered Funds LLC increased its stake in West Pharmaceutical Services by 16.1% in the first quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 1,611 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $361,000 after purchasing an additional 224 shares during the period. Intech Investment Management LLC increased its stake in West Pharmaceutical Services by 27.7% in the 1st quarter. Intech Investment Management LLC now owns 6,020 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $1,348,000 after buying an additional 1,307 shares during the period. Acadian Asset Management LLC increased its stake in West Pharmaceutical Services by 14.1% in the 1st quarter. Acadian Asset Management LLC now owns 1,271 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $284,000 after buying an additional 157 shares during the period. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC increased its stake in West Pharmaceutical Services by 78.2% in the 2nd quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 449 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $98,000 after buying an additional 197 shares during the period. Finally, First Trust Advisors LP increased its stake in West Pharmaceutical Services by 168.4% in the 2nd quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 46,332 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $10,137,000 after buying an additional 29,067 shares during the period. 93.90% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages have issued reports on WST. Citigroup reissued a "buy" rating on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in a research note on Friday, April 24th. Morgan Stanley set a $315.00 price target on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in a research note on Monday, April 27th. UBS Group reaffirmed a "buy" rating and set a $340.00 price target on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in a research note on Friday, February 13th. Zacks Research raised shares of West Pharmaceutical Services from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 13th. Finally, Barclays upped their price target on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services from $275.00 to $310.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Monday, April 27th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have assigned a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $322.89.

Insider Activity

In related news, CAO Chad Winters sold 896 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, April 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $300.67, for a total transaction of $269,400.32. Following the completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer owned 1,523 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $457,920.41. This represents a 37.04% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, VP Annette F. Favorite sold 2,817 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred 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 sale, the vice president directly owned 16,828 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $5,135,905.60. This trade represents a 14.34% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Corporate insiders own 0.60% of the company's stock.

West Pharmaceutical Services Price Performance

NYSE:WST opened at $304.47 on Wednesday. The firm has a market cap of $21.51 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 40.70, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.55 and a beta of 1.17. West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. has a 12-month low of $203.74 and a 12-month high of $330.88. 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 company's 50-day moving average is $271.08 and its two-hundred day moving average is $265.56.

West Pharmaceutical Services (NYSE:WST - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 23rd. The medical instruments supplier reported $2.13 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.68 by $0.45. The business had revenue of $844.90 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $779.68 million. West Pharmaceutical Services had a net margin of 16.85% and a return on equity of 19.03%. The company's revenue was up 21.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $1.45 EPS. 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. Research analysts expect that West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. will post 8.6 EPS for the current year.

West Pharmaceutical Services announced that its board has initiated a share buyback program on Tuesday, February 17th that allows the company to buyback $1.00 billion in shares. This buyback authorization allows the medical instruments supplier to buy up to 5.6% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback programs are often an indication that the company's board believes its shares are undervalued.

West Pharmaceutical Services 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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