Fifth Third Bancorp Acquires 55,934 Shares of West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. $WST

Fifth Third Bancorp boosted its holdings in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST - Free Report) by 594.3% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 65,346 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock after buying an additional 55,934 shares during the quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp owned about 0.09% of West Pharmaceutical Services worth $16,378,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Empowered Funds LLC boosted its stake in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 16.1% during the 1st quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 1,611 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $361,000 after acquiring an additional 224 shares in the last quarter. Intech Investment Management LLC raised its stake in shares of 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 acquiring an additional 1,307 shares in the last quarter. Acadian Asset Management LLC lifted its holdings 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 worth $284,000 after purchasing an additional 157 shares during the last quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its holdings 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 worth $98,000 after purchasing an additional 197 shares during the last quarter. Finally, First Trust Advisors LP boosted its position in West Pharmaceutical Services by 168.4% during the second quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 46,332 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $10,137,000 after purchasing an additional 29,067 shares during the period. 93.90% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

West Pharmaceutical Services Stock Down 0.4%

Shares of WST stock opened at $358.18 on Wednesday. West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. has a 12 month low of $206.80 and a 12 month high of $367.66. The company has a quick ratio of 2.04, a current ratio of 2.71 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.07. The firm has a market cap of $25.31 billion, a PE ratio of 47.88, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.01 and a beta of 1.16. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $330.36 and a 200-day moving average of $283.09.

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

Insider Activity

In other news, VP Annette F. Favorite sold 2,817 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Monday, April 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $305.20, for a total transaction of $859,748.40. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president owned 16,828 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $5,135,905.60. This represents a 14.34% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CAO Chad Winters sold 896 shares of the stock in a transaction dated 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. The trade was a 37.04% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders own 0.60% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts have recently commented on the stock. Stephens reissued an "overweight" rating and issued a $360.00 price target on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in a research report on Tuesday, June 2nd. KeyCorp raised their target price on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services from $350.00 to $390.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Thursday, July 2nd. Zacks Research upgraded shares of West Pharmaceutical Services from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 13th. Wolfe Research initiated coverage on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in a research report on Monday, June 1st. They set an "outperform" rating and a $375.00 target price for the company. Finally, Evercore restated an "outperform" rating and set a $410.00 price target on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in a report on Monday, July 6th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have given a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of "Buy" and an average price target of $363.17.

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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