Hsbc Holdings PLC Takes $49.58 Million Position in West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. $WST

Key Points

• HSBC Holdings acquired 138,384 shares of West Pharmaceutical Services valued at approximately $49.6 million, representing a 0.20% stake. Institutional investors collectively own 93.9% of the company.
• West Pharmaceutical Services exceeded quarterly expectations, reporting $2.37 in EPS versus the $2.08 consensus and revenue of $872.3 million, up 13.8% year over year. The company forecasts full-year 2026 EPS of $8.85–$9.05.
• Analysts maintain a generally positive outlook, with a consensus “Moderate Buy” rating and a $368.08 price target; the company also pays a quarterly dividend of $0.22, yielding approximately 0.3%.

Hsbc Holdings PLC purchased a new position in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST - Free Report) in the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor purchased 138,384 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock, valued at approximately $49,576,000. Hsbc Holdings PLC owned 0.20% of West Pharmaceutical Services as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in WST. Bank of Nova Scotia lifted its holdings in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 337.8% in the first quarter. Bank of Nova Scotia now owns 65,323 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $16,373,000 after buying an additional 50,402 shares in the last quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC boosted its position in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 100.2% in the first quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC now owns 209,660 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $52,549,000 after acquiring an additional 104,924 shares during the period. Conestoga Capital Advisors LLC grew its stake in West Pharmaceutical Services by 6.7% during the first quarter. Conestoga Capital Advisors LLC now owns 130,970 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $32,826,000 after acquiring an additional 8,179 shares in the last quarter. Comerica Bank increased its holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services by 31.8% during the 4th quarter. Comerica Bank now owns 56,693 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $15,599,000 after acquiring an additional 13,680 shares during the period. Finally, Ilmarinen Mutual Pension Insurance Co purchased a new stake in West Pharmaceutical Services in the 4th quarter worth approximately $3,027,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 93.90% of the company's stock.

West Pharmaceutical Services Price Performance

Shares of West Pharmaceutical Services stock opened at $350.68 on Thursday. West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. has a 52-week low of $223.83 and a 52-week high of $386.00. The stock has a market capitalization of $24.68 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 44.90, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.44 and a beta of 1.15. The company has a fifty day moving average of $349.99 and a 200-day moving average of $302.68. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.07, a quick ratio of 2.12 and a current ratio of 2.82.

West Pharmaceutical Services (NYSE:WST - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, July 23rd. The medical instruments supplier reported $2.37 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $2.08 by $0.29. The company had revenue of $872.30 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $839.98 million. West Pharmaceutical Services had a net margin of 16.98% and a return on equity of 20.11%. The firm's revenue was up 13.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $1.84 EPS. West Pharmaceutical Services has set its Q3 2026 guidance at 2.140-2.240 EPS and its FY 2026 guidance at 8.850-9.050 EPS. Equities research analysts expect that West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. will post 8.93 EPS for the current year.

West Pharmaceutical Services Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, August 5th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, July 29th were issued a $0.22 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, July 29th. This represents a $0.88 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.3%. West Pharmaceutical Services's payout ratio is currently 11.27%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms have recently weighed in on WST. Evercore reaffirmed an "outperform" rating and issued a $425.00 price target on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in a report on Monday, July 27th. KeyCorp lifted their price objective on West Pharmaceutical Services from $350.00 to $390.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Thursday, July 2nd. Barclays upgraded West Pharmaceutical Services from an "equal weight" rating to an "overweight" rating and upped their target price for the stock from $310.00 to $400.00 in a research note on Tuesday, June 9th. BNP Paribas Exane began coverage on West Pharmaceutical Services in a research report on Monday, July 13th. They set an "outperform" rating and a $447.00 price target for the company. Finally, Citigroup boosted their price objective on West Pharmaceutical Services from $400.00 to $412.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Monday, August 3rd. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have issued 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 price target of $368.08.

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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