Motley Fool Wealth Management LLC Reduces Holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. $WST

Key Points

• Motley Fool Wealth Management cut its West Pharmaceutical Services stake by 21.9% in Q4, selling 5,468 shares and leaving it with 19,477 shares valued at about $5.36 million.
• Despite the trim, institutional ownership remains very high, with hedge funds and other institutions holding 93.9% of WST shares. Several firms recently increased positions, including Holocene Advisors and Birch Hill Investment Advisors.
• West Pharmaceutical Services reported strong quarterly results, beating estimates with EPS of $2.13 on revenue of $844.9 million, and the stock is supported by a consensus Buy rating and average price target of about $340.09.

Motley Fool Wealth Management LLC lowered its position in West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST - Free Report) by 21.9% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 19,477 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock after selling 5,468 shares during the period. Motley Fool Wealth Management LLC's holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services were worth $5,359,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Holocene Advisors LP purchased a new position in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $49,085,000. Rockland Trust Co. grew its stake in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 6.5% during the 3rd quarter. Rockland Trust Co. now owns 83,066 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $21,791,000 after buying an additional 5,087 shares during the period. Nordea Investment Management AB grew its stake in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 42.7% during the 4th quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 14,950 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $4,122,000 after buying an additional 4,477 shares during the period. Birch Hill Investment Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 11.5% during the 4th quarter. Birch Hill Investment Advisors LLC now owns 152,148 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $41,862,000 after acquiring an additional 15,678 shares in the last quarter. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted its holdings in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 7.7% during the 3rd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 236,963 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $62,163,000 after acquiring an additional 16,919 shares in the last quarter. 93.90% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

WST has been the topic of several recent research reports. UBS Group restated a "buy" rating and set a $340.00 target price on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in a report on Friday, February 13th. Wolfe Research began coverage on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in a report on Monday, June 1st. They issued an "outperform" rating and a $375.00 price objective on the stock. Jefferies Financial Group reiterated a "buy" rating and issued a $295.00 price objective on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in a report on Tuesday, February 10th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reiterated a "buy" rating and issued a $315.00 price objective on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in a report on Friday, February 13th. Finally, Morgan Stanley boosted their price objective on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services from $315.00 to $325.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a report on Friday, May 29th. Two 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's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of "Buy" and an average price target of $340.09.

Insider Transactions at West Pharmaceutical Services

In related news, VP Annette F. Favorite sold 2,817 shares of the business'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 completion of the sale, the vice president owned 16,828 shares of the company's stock, valued at $5,135,905.60. This represents a 14.34% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, 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 sale, the chief accounting officer directly owned 1,523 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $457,920.41. This represents a 37.04% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. 0.60% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

West Pharmaceutical Services Price Performance

WST opened at $334.84 on Wednesday. The company has a 50-day moving average of $294.13 and a 200-day moving average of $270.28. The company has a market capitalization of $23.66 billion, a P/E ratio of 44.76, a PEG ratio of 2.68 and a beta of 1.18. West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. has a 1-year low of $206.80 and a 1-year high of $336.82. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.07, a quick ratio of 2.04 and a current ratio of 2.71.

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, topping the consensus estimate of $1.68 by $0.45. West Pharmaceutical Services had a net margin of 16.85% and a return on equity of 19.03%. The company had revenue of $844.90 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $779.68 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $1.45 EPS. The company's revenue was up 21.0% on a year-over-year basis. 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. Equities analysts expect that West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. will post 8.6 EPS for the current fiscal year.

West Pharmaceutical Services declared that its board has approved a stock repurchase 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 reacquire up to 5.6% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase programs are often an indication that the company's management believes its shares are undervalued.

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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