Pictet Asset Management Holding SA Has $11.08 Million Position in West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. $WST

Key Points

• Pictet Asset Management cut its West Pharmaceutical Services stake by 70.9% in Q1, leaving it with 44,190 shares valued at about $11.08 million.
• Wall Street sentiment remains positive: several analysts upgraded the stock, with an average rating of Buy and an average price target of $343.73.
• West Pharmaceutical reported strong quarterly results, beating EPS and revenue estimates, while also raising guidance; shares recently opened at $365.87, near their 52-week high.

Pictet Asset Management Holding SA lessened its holdings in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST - Free Report) by 70.9% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 44,190 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock after selling 107,807 shares during the period. Pictet Asset Management Holding SA owned 0.06% of West Pharmaceutical Services worth $11,076,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Norges Bank acquired a new position in West Pharmaceutical Services during the 4th quarter worth about $272,041,000. Generation Investment Management LLP increased its position in West Pharmaceutical Services by 60.0% in the 4th quarter. Generation Investment Management LLP now owns 1,561,869 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $429,733,000 after acquiring an additional 585,855 shares in the last quarter. T. Rowe Price Investment Management Inc. increased its position in West Pharmaceutical Services by 67.5% in the 4th quarter. T. Rowe Price Investment Management Inc. now owns 1,174,962 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $323,280,000 after acquiring an additional 473,547 shares in the last quarter. Steadfast Capital Management LP bought a new position in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in the third quarter worth about $123,667,000. Finally, AQR Capital Management LLC raised its stake in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 420.1% in the third quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 545,879 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $142,949,000 after acquiring an additional 440,929 shares during the last quarter. 93.90% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

WST has been the topic of several research analyst reports. Wolfe Research initiated coverage on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in a research note on Monday, June 1st. They set an "outperform" rating and a $375.00 price target on the stock. Zacks Research upgraded shares of West Pharmaceutical Services from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 13th. Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of West Pharmaceutical Services from a "hold (c-)" rating to a "hold (c)" rating in a research report on Monday, April 27th. 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. Finally, KeyCorp lifted their target price on West Pharmaceutical Services from $350.00 to $390.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Thursday. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have given a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Buy" and an average price target of $343.73.

West Pharmaceutical Services Stock Performance

West Pharmaceutical Services stock opened at $365.87 on Friday. 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, Inc. has a 1 year low of $206.80 and a 1 year high of $367.66. The company has a market cap of $25.85 billion, a PE ratio of 48.91, a PEG ratio of 3.06 and a beta of 1.16. The company's 50-day moving average is $322.63 and its two-hundred day moving average is $278.87.

West Pharmaceutical Services (NYSE:WST - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly 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 company had revenue of $844.90 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $779.67 million. West Pharmaceutical Services had a net margin of 16.85% and a return on equity of 19.03%. West Pharmaceutical Services's revenue was up 21.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company 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. Equities analysts anticipate that West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. will post 8.6 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other West Pharmaceutical Services news, CAO Chad Winters sold 896 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Monday, April 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $300.67, for a total transaction of $269,400.32. Following the completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer owned 1,523 shares in the company, valued at approximately $457,920.41. The trade was a 37.04% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal 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 on Monday, April 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $305.20, for a total value of $859,748.40. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president directly owned 16,828 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,135,905.60. This trade represents a 14.34% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. 0.60% of the stock is currently owned by company 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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