Prudential PLC Has $4.29 Million Stock Holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. $WST

Key Points

• Prudential PLC reduced its West Pharmaceutical Services stake by 44.5% in the fourth quarter, leaving it with 15,598 shares valued at about $4.29 million.
• Analysts remain broadly positive on WST, with an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $331.91 after several firms reiterated buy/outperform views or raised targets.
• West Pharmaceutical Services posted strong quarterly results, beating EPS and revenue expectations, while also authorizing a $1 billion share repurchase program and giving forward guidance for FY2026 and Q2 2026.

Prudential PLC trimmed its position in West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST - Free Report) by 44.5% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 15,598 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock after selling 12,508 shares during the period. Prudential PLC's holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services were worth $4,292,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in WST. Elyxium Wealth LLC bought a new stake in West Pharmaceutical Services in the 4th quarter valued at about $25,000. CYBER HORNET ETFs LLC bought a new stake in West Pharmaceutical Services in the 2nd quarter valued at about $25,000. Private Trust Co. NA increased its position in West Pharmaceutical Services by 156.4% in the 4th quarter. Private Trust Co. NA now owns 100 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $28,000 after buying an additional 61 shares in the last quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC bought a new stake in West Pharmaceutical Services in the 4th quarter valued at about $31,000. Finally, Torren Management LLC bought a new stake in West Pharmaceutical Services in the 4th quarter valued at about $34,000. 93.90% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts recently commented on WST shares. Citigroup reaffirmed a "buy" rating on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in a research report on Friday, April 24th. Barclays boosted their target price on West Pharmaceutical Services from $275.00 to $310.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Monday, April 27th. Zacks Research raised West Pharmaceutical Services from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 13th. Evercore reaffirmed an "outperform" rating on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in a research report on Friday, April 24th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reaffirmed a "buy" rating and issued a $315.00 target price on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in a research report on Friday, February 13th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have assigned a Buy rating and three have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $331.91.

West Pharmaceutical Services Stock Performance

Shares of WST opened at $314.64 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.07, a quick ratio of 2.04 and a current ratio of 2.71. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $290.87 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $269.27. The firm has a market capitalization of $22.23 billion, a P/E ratio of 42.06, a P/E/G ratio of 2.63 and a beta of 1.18. West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. has a 52 week low of $206.80 and a 52 week high of $330.88.

West Pharmaceutical Services (NYSE:WST - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 23rd. The medical instruments supplier reported $2.13 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.68 by $0.45. The firm had revenue of $844.90 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates 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 previous year, the company 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. Equities analysts forecast that West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. will post 8.6 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

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

Insider Buying and Selling

In other West Pharmaceutical Services news, CAO Chad Winters sold 896 shares of the business's 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 sale, 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 document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, VP Annette F. Favorite sold 2,817 shares of the business's 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 sale, the vice president directly owned 16,828 shares of the company's stock, valued at $5,135,905.60. This represents a 14.34% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders own 0.60% of the company's stock.

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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