Norges Bank Invests $272.04 Million in West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. $WST

Key Points

• Norges Bank opened a large new position in West Pharmaceutical Services, buying 988,737 shares valued at about $272.0 million, or roughly 1.37% of the company.
• West Pharmaceutical Services reported better-than-expected Q1 results, with EPS of $2.13 and revenue of $844.9 million, both topping analyst estimates, while revenue rose 21% year over year.
• The company’s board authorized a $1 billion share repurchase program, and analysts currently rate the stock a consensus Moderate Buy with a target price of $331.91.

Norges Bank acquired a new position in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST - Free Report) in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor acquired 988,737 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock, valued at approximately $272,041,000. Norges Bank owned approximately 1.37% of West Pharmaceutical Services as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Flagship Harbor Advisors LLC boosted its position in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 3.7% in the 3rd quarter. Flagship Harbor Advisors LLC now owns 1,091 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $286,000 after purchasing an additional 39 shares during the period. NewEdge Wealth LLC boosted its position in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 3.5% in the 3rd quarter. NewEdge Wealth LLC now owns 1,174 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $333,000 after purchasing an additional 40 shares during the period. Darwin Wealth Management LLC boosted its position in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 10.8% in the 4th quarter. Darwin Wealth Management LLC now owns 410 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $113,000 after purchasing an additional 40 shares during the period. RFG Advisory LLC boosted its position in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 2.2% in the 3rd quarter. RFG Advisory LLC now owns 2,233 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $586,000 after purchasing an additional 47 shares during the period. Finally, Faithward Advisors LLC boosted its position in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 0.4% in the 3rd quarter. Faithward Advisors LLC now owns 11,855 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $3,110,000 after purchasing an additional 48 shares during the period. 93.90% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

WST has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. Wolfe Research initiated coverage on West Pharmaceutical Services in a research report on Monday. They issued an "outperform" rating and a $375.00 target price for the company. Jefferies Financial Group reaffirmed a "buy" rating and set a $295.00 price objective on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in a research report on Tuesday, February 10th. Barclays increased their price objective on West Pharmaceutical Services from $275.00 to $310.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Monday, April 27th. Weiss Ratings raised West Pharmaceutical Services from a "hold (c-)" rating to a "hold (c)" rating in a research report on Monday, April 27th. Finally, Citigroup reaffirmed a "buy" rating on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in a research report on Friday, April 24th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have issued a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $331.91.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, CAO Chad Winters sold 896 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred 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 completion of the transaction, 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 sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, VP Annette F. Favorite sold 2,817 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, April 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $305.20, for a total value of $859,748.40. Following the transaction, the vice president directly owned 16,828 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $5,135,905.60. This trade represents a 14.34% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Corporate insiders own 0.60% of the company's stock.

West Pharmaceutical Services Stock Down 1.1%

West Pharmaceutical Services stock opened at $312.77 on Wednesday. The stock has a market capitalization of $22.10 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 41.81, a PEG ratio of 2.65 and a beta of 1.18. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $285.07 and a two-hundred day moving average of $267.94. West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. has a twelve month low of $206.19 and a twelve month high of $330.88. The company has a current ratio of 2.71, a quick ratio of 2.04 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.07.

West Pharmaceutical Services (NYSE:WST - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, April 23rd. The medical instruments supplier reported $2.13 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.68 by $0.45. The business had revenue of $844.90 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $779.68 million. West Pharmaceutical Services had a return on equity of 19.03% and a net margin of 16.85%.The company's revenue for the quarter was up 21.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $1.45 EPS. 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. As a group, research analysts expect that West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. will post 8.6 earnings per share for the current year.

West Pharmaceutical Services declared that its Board of Directors has initiated a share repurchase program on Tuesday, February 17th that allows the company to buyback $1.00 billion in shares. This buyback authorization allows the medical instruments supplier to repurchase up to 5.6% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback programs are often an indication that the company's management believes its stock is 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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