Kornitzer Capital Management Inc. KS Makes New $3.43 Million Investment in West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. $WST

Key Points

• Kornitzer Capital Management opened a new position in West Pharmaceutical Services in Q1, buying 13,668 shares worth about $3.43 million.
• West Pharmaceutical Services reported strong quarterly results, with EPS of $2.13 beating estimates and revenue of $844.9 million topping forecasts, while revenue rose 21% year over year.
• Analyst sentiment remains bullish, with multiple firms raising price targets and the stock carrying an average Buy rating and a consensus target of $355.55.

Kornitzer Capital Management Inc. KS bought a new position in West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST - Free Report) in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor bought 13,668 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock, valued at approximately $3,426,000.

Other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Norges Bank bought a new position in West Pharmaceutical Services in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $272,041,000. Generation Investment Management LLP grew its stake in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 60.0% during the fourth quarter. Generation Investment Management LLP now owns 1,561,869 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $429,733,000 after buying an additional 585,855 shares during the last quarter. T. Rowe Price Investment Management Inc. grew its stake in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 67.5% during the fourth quarter. T. Rowe Price Investment Management Inc. now owns 1,174,962 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $323,280,000 after buying an additional 473,547 shares during the last quarter. Steadfast Capital Management LP acquired a new position in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services during the third quarter worth $123,667,000. Finally, AQR Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 420.1% during the third quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 545,879 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $142,949,000 after buying an additional 440,929 shares in the last quarter. 93.90% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other West Pharmaceutical Services news, CAO Chad Winters sold 896 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, April 27th. The stock was 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 directly owned 1,523 shares in the company, valued at approximately $457,920.41. This trade represents a 37.04% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, VP Annette F. Favorite sold 2,817 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, April 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $305.20, for a total value of $859,748.40. Following the sale, 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. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. 0.60% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

West Pharmaceutical Services Trading Down 1.1%

Shares of West Pharmaceutical Services stock traded down $3.97 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $353.69. The company had a trading volume of 446,112 shares, compared to its average volume of 763,998. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $328.15 and a 200 day moving average price of $281.89. West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $206.80 and a fifty-two week high of $367.66. The firm has a market cap of $24.99 billion, a PE ratio of 47.28, a P/E/G ratio of 2.96 and a beta of 1.16. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.07, a current ratio of 2.71 and a quick ratio of 2.04.

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

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts have recently commented on the company. Morgan Stanley raised their price objective on West Pharmaceutical Services from $325.00 to $365.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a report on Thursday. Evercore reaffirmed an "outperform" rating and issued a $410.00 target price on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in a report on Monday, July 6th. Weiss Ratings upgraded West Pharmaceutical Services from a "hold (c-)" rating to a "hold (c)" rating in a research report on Monday, April 27th. KeyCorp lifted their price target 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. Finally, Stephens reiterated an "overweight" rating and issued a $360.00 price objective on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in a report on Tuesday, June 2nd. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have issued a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, West Pharmaceutical Services presently has an average rating of "Buy" and an average price target of $355.55.

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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