Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. Has $4.51 Million Stock Holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. $WST

Key Points

• Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management boosted its West Pharmaceutical Services stake by 377.4% in the fourth quarter, ending with 16,398 shares valued at about $4.51 million.
• Analyst sentiment remains positive, with a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $322.89; several firms recently reiterated or raised their targets.
• West Pharmaceutical Services reported better-than-expected Q1 results, including EPS of $2.13 versus the $1.68 estimate, and also authorized a $1 billion share repurchase program.

Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. raised its holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST - Free Report) by 377.4% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 16,398 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock after purchasing an additional 12,963 shares during the quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co.'s holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services were worth $4,512,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. CYBER HORNET ETFs LLC acquired a new stake in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services during the 2nd quarter valued at $25,000. Private Trust Co. NA boosted its holdings in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 156.4% during the 4th 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. International Assets Investment Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services during the 4th quarter valued at $31,000. Torren Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services during the 4th quarter valued at $34,000. Finally, Pilgrim Partners Asia Pte Ltd acquired a new stake in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services during the 3rd quarter valued at $47,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 93.90% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

WST has been the topic of several recent research reports. Barclays raised their price objective on West Pharmaceutical Services from $275.00 to $310.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a report on Monday, April 27th. Morgan Stanley set a $315.00 price objective on West Pharmaceutical Services in a report on Monday, April 27th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reissued a "buy" rating and set a $315.00 price objective on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in a report on Friday, February 13th. Zacks Research raised West Pharmaceutical Services from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, May 13th. Finally, Citigroup reissued a "buy" rating on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in a report on Friday, April 24th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have given a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $322.89.

West Pharmaceutical Services Stock Up 0.2%

Shares of WST opened at $316.86 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $22.39 billion, a PE ratio of 42.36, a PEG ratio of 2.65 and a beta of 1.17. West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. has a 12 month low of $203.74 and a 12 month high of $330.88. The stock's 50-day moving average price is $275.46 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $266.35. 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 announced its earnings results on Thursday, April 23rd. The medical instruments supplier reported $2.13 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.68 by $0.45. The firm had revenue of $844.90 million for 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 business's quarterly revenue was up 21.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $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. On average, analysts anticipate that West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. will post 8.6 EPS for the current year.

West Pharmaceutical Services declared that its Board of Directors has approved a stock buyback program on Tuesday, February 17th that authorizes the company to buyback $1.00 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the medical instruments supplier to repurchase up to 5.6% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback programs are generally a sign that the company's management believes its shares are undervalued.

Insider Activity

In other West Pharmaceutical Services news, CAO Chad Winters sold 896 shares of West Pharmaceutical Services stock in a transaction dated Monday, April 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $300.67, for a total transaction of $269,400.32. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer directly owned 1,523 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $457,920.41. The trade was a 37.04% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, VP Annette F. Favorite sold 2,817 shares of West Pharmaceutical Services stock in a transaction dated 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 in the company, valued at $5,135,905.60. The trade was a 14.34% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. 0.60% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

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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