Geode Capital Management LLC Purchases 11,962 Shares of West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. $WST

Key Points

• Geode Capital Management increased its West Pharmaceutical Services stake by 0.6% in the fourth quarter, adding 11,962 shares to bring its total to 1,869,086 shares worth about $512.25 million.
• West Pharmaceutical Services posted better-than-expected quarterly results, with EPS of $2.13 versus $1.68 expected and revenue of $844.9 million versus $779.68 million estimated; revenue also rose 21% year over year.
• The company’s board approved a $1 billion share repurchase program, and analysts currently rate the stock a Moderate Buy with a consensus target price of $324.

Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its position in West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST - Free Report) by 0.6% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 1,869,086 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock after acquiring an additional 11,962 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC owned 2.60% of West Pharmaceutical Services worth $512,250,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Elyxium Wealth LLC bought a new stake in West Pharmaceutical Services in the 4th quarter valued at about $25,000. Private Trust Co. NA raised its stake in West Pharmaceutical Services by 156.4% in the 4th quarter. Private Trust Co. NA now owns 100 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $28,000 after acquiring an additional 61 shares during the period. International Assets Investment Management LLC purchased a new position in West Pharmaceutical Services during the 4th quarter valued at about $31,000. CYBER HORNET ETFs LLC bought a new stake in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services during the second quarter valued at about $25,000. Finally, Torren Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services during the fourth quarter valued at about $34,000. 93.90% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Activity

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

West Pharmaceutical Services Trading Down 0.0%

Shares of WST opened at $322.81 on Monday. The business's 50-day moving average price is $283.57 and its 200-day moving average price is $267.67. West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. has a twelve month low of $206.10 and a twelve month high of $330.88. The stock has a market cap of $22.81 billion, a PE ratio of 43.16, a P/E/G ratio of 2.70 and a beta of 1.18. The company has a quick ratio of 2.04, a current ratio of 2.71 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.07.

West Pharmaceutical Services (NYSE:WST - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data 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 company had revenue of $844.90 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $779.68 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $1.45 earnings per share. West Pharmaceutical Services's revenue was up 21.0% on a year-over-year basis. 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 forecast that West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. will post 8.6 EPS for the current fiscal year.

West Pharmaceutical Services declared that its Board of Directors has approved a stock 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 reacquire up to 5.6% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback programs are usually a sign that the company's management believes its shares are undervalued.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts have recently weighed in on WST shares. Jefferies Financial Group reiterated a "buy" rating and set a $295.00 price target on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in a research report on Tuesday, February 10th. Zacks Research upgraded West Pharmaceutical Services from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 13th. UBS Group reiterated a "buy" rating and set a $340.00 price target on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in a research report on Friday, February 13th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reiterated 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, Weiss Ratings upgraded West Pharmaceutical Services from a "hold (c-)" rating to a "hold (c)" rating in a research report on Monday, April 27th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have assigned a Buy rating and three have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $324.00.

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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