Riverbridge Partners LLC Sells 57,171 Shares of West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. $WST

Key Points

• Riverbridge Partners LLC cut its West Pharmaceutical Services stake by 17.9% in the first quarter, selling 57,171 shares and leaving it with 261,442 shares valued at about $65.5 million.
• Analyst sentiment remains positive, with West Pharmaceutical Services holding a Buy consensus rating and an average price target of $340.09; Wolfe Research recently initiated coverage with an Outperform rating and a $375 target.
• The company reported strong quarterly results, posting EPS of $2.13 versus $1.68 expected and revenue of $844.9 million versus $779.67 million expected, while raising guidance for FY2026 and Q2 2026.

Riverbridge Partners LLC lowered its stake in West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST - Free Report) by 17.9% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 261,442 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock after selling 57,171 shares during the period. West Pharmaceutical Services accounts for 1.6% of Riverbridge Partners LLC's portfolio, making the stock its 18th largest position. Riverbridge Partners LLC owned 0.36% of West Pharmaceutical Services worth $65,528,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Elyxium Wealth LLC bought a new position in West Pharmaceutical Services in the 4th quarter valued at $25,000. CYBER HORNET ETFs LLC bought a new stake in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services during the second quarter worth $25,000. Bayban acquired a new position in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services during the fourth quarter valued at $27,000. Private Trust Co. NA lifted its stake in shares of 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 acquiring an additional 61 shares during the period. Finally, DV Equities LLC bought a new position in West Pharmaceutical Services in the fourth quarter valued at about $28,000. Institutional investors own 93.90% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts recently commented on the company. Weiss Ratings upgraded West Pharmaceutical Services from a "hold (c-)" rating to a "hold (c)" rating in a research report on Monday, April 27th. Wolfe Research initiated coverage on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in a research report on Monday, June 1st. They set an "outperform" rating and a $375.00 target price on the stock. Citigroup reiterated a "buy" rating on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in a research report on Friday, April 24th. Evercore reissued an "outperform" rating on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in a research note on Friday, April 24th. Finally, Zacks Research upgraded shares of West Pharmaceutical Services from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, May 13th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have assigned a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of "Buy" and an average target price of $340.09.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other West Pharmaceutical Services news, CAO Chad Winters sold 896 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, April 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $300.67, for a total value of $269,400.32. Following the completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer owned 1,523 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $457,920.41. This represents a 37.04% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, VP Annette F. Favorite sold 2,817 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, April 27th. The stock was 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 owned 16,828 shares in the company, 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. 0.60% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

West Pharmaceutical Services Trading Up 1.9%

NYSE WST opened at $336.09 on Wednesday. West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. has a 12 month low of $206.80 and a 12 month high of $336.82. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $308.92 and a 200 day simple moving average of $274.16. The company has a current ratio of 2.71, a quick ratio of 2.04 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.07. The company has a market capitalization of $23.74 billion, a PE ratio of 44.93, a P/E/G ratio of 2.76 and a beta of 1.18.

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 firm had revenue of $844.90 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $779.67 million. West Pharmaceutical Services had a return on equity of 19.03% and a net margin of 16.85%.The company's revenue was up 21.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $1.45 earnings per share. 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. Research analysts forecast that West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. will post 8.6 EPS for the current year.

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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