Landscape Capital Management L.L.C. Takes $1.77 Million Position in West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. $WST

Key Points

• Landscape Capital Management bought a new stake in West Pharmaceutical Services during the fourth quarter, purchasing 6,431 shares worth about $1.77 million.
• West Pharmaceutical Services reported strong quarterly results, with EPS of $2.13 and revenue of $844.9 million, both ahead of estimates. Revenue rose 21% year over year, and the company raised guidance for future periods.
• The company also authorized a $1 billion share buyback, while recent insider sales by executives and generally positive Wall Street coverage suggest continued investor attention to the stock.

Landscape Capital Management L.L.C. purchased a new stake in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST - Free Report) during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund purchased 6,431 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock, valued at approximately $1,769,000.

A number of other large investors have also made changes to their positions in WST. Empowered Funds LLC raised its holdings in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 16.1% during the first quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 1,611 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $361,000 after acquiring an additional 224 shares during the period. Intech Investment Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 27.7% during the first 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 during the period. Acadian Asset Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 14.1% during the first quarter. Acadian Asset Management LLC now owns 1,271 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $284,000 after acquiring an additional 157 shares during the period. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 78.2% during the second quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 449 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $98,000 after acquiring an additional 197 shares during the period. Finally, First Trust Advisors LP raised its holdings in shares of 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 valued at $10,137,000 after acquiring an additional 29,067 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 93.90% of the company's stock.

West Pharmaceutical Services Stock Up 0.6%

West Pharmaceutical Services stock opened at $330.89 on Tuesday. The firm has a market cap of $23.38 billion, a PE ratio of 44.24, a P/E/G ratio of 2.75 and a beta of 1.18. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.07, a quick ratio of 2.04 and a current ratio of 2.71. The firm's 50 day moving average price is $300.48 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $271.97. West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. has a twelve month low of $206.80 and a twelve month high of $336.82.

West Pharmaceutical Services (NYSE:WST - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results 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. The company had revenue of $844.90 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate 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 for the quarter was up 21.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period 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, research analysts predict that West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. will post 8.6 EPS for the current fiscal year.

West Pharmaceutical Services announced that its Board of Directors has authorized a share buyback program on Tuesday, February 17th that permits the company to repurchase $1.00 billion in shares. This repurchase authorization permits the medical instruments supplier to repurchase up to 5.6% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase programs are usually a sign that the company's management believes its shares are undervalued.

Insider Activity at West Pharmaceutical Services

In other West Pharmaceutical Services news, VP Annette F. Favorite sold 2,817 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, April 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $305.20, for a total value of $859,748.40. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president directly owned 16,828 shares of the company's stock, valued at $5,135,905.60. The trade was a 14.34% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, CAO Chad Winters sold 896 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 of the company's stock, valued at $457,920.41. This represents a 37.04% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders own 0.60% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

WST has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. Zacks Research upgraded shares of West Pharmaceutical Services from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, May 13th. Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of West Pharmaceutical Services from a "hold (c-)" rating to a "hold (c)" rating in a research note on Monday, April 27th. Evercore reiterated an "outperform" rating on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in a research note on Friday, April 24th. Citigroup reiterated a "buy" rating on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in a research note on Friday, April 24th. Finally, Wolfe Research started coverage on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in a research note on Monday, June 1st. They issued an "outperform" rating and a $375.00 price objective on the stock. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have assigned a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Buy" and a consensus price target of $340.09.

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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