Meeder Asset Management Inc. Makes New Investment in West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. $WST

Key Points

• Meeder Asset Management acquired 10,911 shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in the second quarter, worth approximately $3.9 million. Institutional investors and hedge funds collectively own 93.9% of the company.
• Analyst sentiment is positive overall, with West Pharmaceutical Services carrying a consensus “Moderate Buy” rating and an average price target of $368.08; recent targets range as high as $412.
• The company exceeded quarterly expectations, reporting $2.37 in EPS and $872.3 million in revenue, up 13.8% year over year. It also declared a quarterly dividend of $0.22 per share, representing a 0.3% annualized yield.

Meeder Asset Management Inc. acquired a new position in West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST - Free Report) during the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor acquired 10,911 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock, valued at approximately $3,917,000.

Other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Elyxium Wealth LLC purchased a new stake in West Pharmaceutical Services in the 4th quarter valued at $25,000. CYBER HORNET ETFs LLC purchased a new position in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC increased its holdings in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 90.9% in the first quarter. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC now owns 105 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 50 shares during the period. Bayban acquired a new stake in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services during the fourth quarter worth $27,000. Finally, Private Trust Co. NA boosted its holdings in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 156.4% in the fourth quarter. Private Trust Co. NA now owns 100 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $28,000 after acquiring an additional 61 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 93.90% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts recently weighed in on WST shares. Barclays raised West Pharmaceutical Services from an "equal weight" rating to an "overweight" rating and upped their price objective for the stock from $310.00 to $400.00 in a report on Tuesday, June 9th. 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. Morgan Stanley upped their price target on West Pharmaceutical Services from $325.00 to $365.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a report on Thursday, July 9th. Citigroup raised their price objective on West Pharmaceutical Services from $400.00 to $412.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Monday, August 3rd. Finally, Wolfe Research assumed coverage on West Pharmaceutical Services in a report on Monday, June 1st. They set an "outperform" rating and a $375.00 price objective for the company. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Buy rating and three have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, West Pharmaceutical Services presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $368.08.

West Pharmaceutical Services Trading Down 0.1%

West Pharmaceutical Services stock opened at $346.21 on Wednesday. West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. has a 1 year low of $223.83 and a 1 year high of $386.00. The firm's 50-day moving average is $347.23 and its 200-day moving average is $297.66. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.07, a quick ratio of 2.12 and a current ratio of 2.82. The company has a market cap of $24.37 billion, a P/E ratio of 44.33, a PEG ratio of 2.44 and a beta of 1.15.

West Pharmaceutical Services (NYSE:WST - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 23rd. The medical instruments supplier reported $2.37 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $2.08 by $0.29. West Pharmaceutical Services had a return on equity of 20.11% and a net margin of 16.98%.The firm had revenue of $872.30 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $839.98 million. During the same period last year, the company posted $1.84 EPS. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 13.8% on a year-over-year basis. 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. On average, equities analysts expect that West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. will post 8.93 earnings per share for the current year.

West Pharmaceutical Services Dividend Announcement

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