Louisiana State Employees Retirement System Makes New Investment in West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. $WST

Key Points

• Louisiana State Employees Retirement System opened a new position in West Pharmaceutical Services, buying 3,700 shares valued at about $927,000 in the first quarter.
• Several other big investors also increased or started stakes, and institutional ownership now stands at 93.90% of the company’s stock.
• West Pharmaceutical reported strong quarterly results, with EPS of $2.13 topping estimates and revenue of $844.9 million, while analysts remain broadly bullish with a Buy consensus and average price target of $343.73.

Louisiana State Employees Retirement System bought a new stake in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST - Free Report) during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm bought 3,700 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock, valued at approximately $927,000.

Several other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in WST. Norges Bank acquired a new position in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services during the 4th quarter valued at about $272,041,000. Generation Investment Management LLP lifted its holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services by 60.0% in the 4th quarter. Generation Investment Management LLP now owns 1,561,869 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $429,733,000 after purchasing an additional 585,855 shares during the last quarter. T. Rowe Price Investment Management Inc. boosted its position in 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 purchasing an additional 473,547 shares during the period. Steadfast Capital Management LP bought a new stake in West Pharmaceutical Services during the third quarter worth approximately $123,667,000. Finally, AQR Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in 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 valued at $142,949,000 after purchasing an additional 440,929 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 93.90% of the company's stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at West Pharmaceutical Services

In other news, CAO Chad Winters sold 896 shares of the business's 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 transaction, the chief accounting officer owned 1,523 shares in the company, valued at approximately $457,920.41. The trade was a 37.04% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, 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 transaction, the vice president directly owned 16,828 shares of the company's stock, valued at $5,135,905.60. This represents a 14.34% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. 0.60% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

West Pharmaceutical Services Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE WST opened at $365.87 on Monday. West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. has a 12 month low of $206.80 and a 12 month high of $367.66. The company has a market cap of $25.85 billion, a P/E ratio of 48.91, a P/E/G ratio of 3.06 and a beta of 1.16. The business's 50 day moving average is $322.63 and its two-hundred day moving average is $278.92. 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 posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 23rd. The medical instruments supplier reported $2.13 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.68 by $0.45. The company had revenue of $844.90 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $779.67 million. West Pharmaceutical Services had a return on equity of 19.03% and a net margin of 16.85%.West Pharmaceutical Services's revenue for the quarter was up 21.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $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 expect that West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. will post 8.6 EPS for the current year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

WST has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. Zacks Research raised shares of West Pharmaceutical Services from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 13th. Citigroup reaffirmed a "buy" rating on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in a report on Friday, April 24th. Stephens reiterated an "overweight" rating and issued a $360.00 target price on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in a research note on Tuesday, June 2nd. KeyCorp lifted their target price on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services from $350.00 to $390.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Thursday. Finally, Morgan Stanley upped their price target on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services from $315.00 to $325.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a report on Friday, May 29th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have given a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of "Buy" and a consensus price target of $343.73.

West Pharmaceutical Services Company 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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