Madison Asset Management LLC Invests $9.90 Million in West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. $WST

Key Points

• Madison Asset Management initiated a $9.9 million position in West Pharmaceutical Services during the second quarter, buying 27,574 shares. Institutional investors collectively own 93.9% of the company.
• Analysts maintain a generally positive view, with a consensus “Moderate Buy” rating and an average price target of $368.08, despite one recent downgrade to “Hold.”
• West Pharmaceutical Services exceeded quarterly expectations, reporting $2.37 in EPS and $872.3 million in revenue, with year-over-year revenue growth of 13.8%. The company also declared a quarterly dividend of $0.22 per share.

Madison Asset Management LLC purchased a new stake in West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST - Free Report) in the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor purchased 27,574 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock, valued at approximately $9,899,000.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Addison Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in West Pharmaceutical Services during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $28,000. NewEdge Wealth LLC acquired a new position in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $346,000. Generation Investment Management LLP purchased a new position in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $728,168,000. Sound Financial Strategies Group LLC acquired a new stake in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services during the second quarter worth approximately $388,000. Finally, Danske Bank A S acquired a new stake in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services during the second quarter worth approximately $11,642,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 93.90% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms recently issued reports on WST. KeyCorp upped their price target on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services from $350.00 to $390.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Thursday, July 2nd. Evercore reissued an "outperform" rating and set a $425.00 price objective on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in a report on Monday, July 27th. Zacks Research downgraded shares of West Pharmaceutical Services from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 12th. Citigroup increased their price target on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services from $400.00 to $412.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Monday, August 3rd. Finally, Wolfe Research assumed coverage on West Pharmaceutical Services in a research note on Monday, June 1st. They issued an "outperform" rating and a $375.00 price target for the company. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have given a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $368.08.

West Pharmaceutical Services Stock Up 1.7%

Shares of West Pharmaceutical Services stock opened at $352.32 on Thursday. The company has a current ratio of 2.82, a quick ratio of 2.12 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.07. The business's 50 day simple moving average is $347.64 and its 200-day simple moving average is $298.51. The stock has a market capitalization of $24.80 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 45.11, a PEG ratio of 2.42 and a beta of 1.15. West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. has a twelve month low of $223.83 and a twelve month high of $386.00.

West Pharmaceutical Services (NYSE:WST - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 23rd. The medical instruments supplier reported $2.37 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.08 by $0.29. The business had revenue of $872.30 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $839.98 million. West Pharmaceutical Services had a return on equity of 20.11% and a net margin of 16.98%.The business's revenue was up 13.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $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 forecast that West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. will post 8.93 earnings per share for the current year.

West Pharmaceutical Services Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, August 5th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, July 29th were given a dividend of $0.22 per share. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, July 29th. This represents a $0.88 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.2%. West Pharmaceutical Services's dividend payout ratio is currently 11.27%.

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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