Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd. Sells 7,219 Shares of West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. $WST

Key Points

• Nomura Asset Management reduced its West Pharmaceutical Services stake by 4.5% in the fourth quarter, selling 7,219 shares and leaving it with 154,502 shares worth about $42.5 million.
• West Pharmaceutical Services reported strong quarterly results, posting EPS of $2.13 versus $1.68 expected and revenue of $844.9 million, up 21% from a year ago.
• The company also authorized a $1 billion share repurchase program, while analysts remain constructive with a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $324.

Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd. trimmed its position in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST - Free Report) by 4.5% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 154,502 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock after selling 7,219 shares during the period. Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd. owned 0.21% of West Pharmaceutical Services worth $42,510,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of WST. Elyxium Wealth LLC bought a new position in West Pharmaceutical Services during the fourth quarter valued at $25,000. CYBER HORNET ETFs LLC bought a new position in West Pharmaceutical Services during the second quarter valued at $25,000. Private Trust Co. NA grew its holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services by 156.4% during the fourth quarter. Private Trust Co. NA now owns 100 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $28,000 after purchasing an additional 61 shares during the period. International Assets Investment Management LLC bought a new position in West Pharmaceutical Services during the fourth quarter valued at $31,000. Finally, Torren Management LLC bought a new position in West Pharmaceutical Services during the fourth quarter valued at $34,000. 93.90% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, VP Annette F. Favorite sold 2,817 shares of West Pharmaceutical Services stock in a transaction on 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 directly owned 16,828 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $5,135,905.60. The trade was a 14.34% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, CAO Chad Winters sold 896 shares of West Pharmaceutical Services stock in a transaction 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 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.

West Pharmaceutical Services Stock Down 0.0%

Shares of NYSE:WST opened at $322.81 on Monday. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $283.57 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $267.67. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.07, a current ratio of 2.71 and a quick ratio of 2.04. West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. has a one year low of $206.10 and a one year high of $330.88. The company has a market cap of $22.81 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 43.16, a PEG ratio of 2.70 and a beta of 1.18.

West Pharmaceutical Services (NYSE:WST - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 23rd. The medical instruments supplier reported $2.13 EPS for the quarter, beating 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 firm had revenue of $844.90 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $779.68 million. During the same period last year, the firm earned $1.45 EPS. The business's quarterly revenue was up 21.0% compared to the same quarter last year. 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. Analysts anticipate that West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. will post 8.6 EPS for the current fiscal year.

West Pharmaceutical Services announced that its board has initiated a share repurchase program on Tuesday, February 17th that authorizes the company to buyback $1.00 billion in shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the medical instruments supplier to purchase up to 5.6% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback programs are often a sign that the company's board believes its stock is undervalued.

Analyst Ratings Changes

WST has been the subject of several research reports. Evercore reissued an "outperform" rating on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in a report on Friday, April 24th. UBS Group reissued a "buy" rating and set a $340.00 price objective on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in a report on Friday, February 13th. Citigroup reiterated a "buy" rating on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in a research note on Friday, April 24th. 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. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group reiterated a "buy" rating and issued a $295.00 price objective on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in a research note on Tuesday, February 10th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have given a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $324.00.

West Pharmaceutical Services 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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