Rockland Trust Co. Has $1.70 Million Position in West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. $WST

Key Points

• Rockland Trust cut its stake by 92.6% in Q4, selling 76,903 shares and retaining 6,163 shares of West Pharmaceutical worth $1.696 million; overall institutional ownership stands at 93.9%.
• West beat quarterly estimates with $2.04 EPS vs. $1.83 expected and $805M revenue (+7.5% YoY), set FY2026 guidance of $7.85–$8.20 EPS, and the board authorized a $1.00 billion share buyback (up to ~5.6% of shares).
• The stock trades near $250.95 with a market cap of $18.09B and a P/E of 36.96, pays a $0.22 quarterly dividend ($0.88 annual, 0.4% yield), and carries a consensus "Buy" rating with a $314.56 target.

Rockland Trust Co. lessened its position in West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST - Free Report) by 92.6% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 6,163 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock after selling 76,903 shares during the period. Rockland Trust Co.'s holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services were worth $1,696,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Empowered Funds LLC increased its position in West Pharmaceutical Services by 16.1% during the first quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 1,611 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $361,000 after buying an additional 224 shares during the last quarter. Intech Investment Management LLC lifted its position in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 27.7% in the first quarter. Intech Investment Management LLC now owns 6,020 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $1,348,000 after buying an additional 1,307 shares during the last quarter. Acadian Asset Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 14.1% during the 1st quarter. Acadian Asset Management LLC now owns 1,271 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $284,000 after acquiring an additional 157 shares during the period. State Board of Administration of Florida Retirement System boosted its stake in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 0.8% during the 2nd quarter. State Board of Administration of Florida Retirement System now owns 70,197 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $15,359,000 after acquiring an additional 590 shares during the period. Finally, Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. increased its holdings in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 10.4% during the 2nd quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 3,277 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $717,000 after acquiring an additional 310 shares during the last quarter. 93.90% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

West Pharmaceutical Services Stock Performance

NYSE:WST opened at $250.95 on Wednesday. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $243.09 and a 200 day simple moving average of $261.33. The stock has a market cap of $18.09 billion, a P/E ratio of 36.96, a PEG ratio of 2.61 and a beta of 1.17. West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. has a 1-year low of $187.43 and a 1-year high of $322.34. The company has a current ratio of 3.02, a quick ratio of 2.34 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.06.

West Pharmaceutical Services (NYSE:WST - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 12th. The medical instruments supplier reported $2.04 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.83 by $0.21. The firm had revenue of $805.00 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $795.70 million. West Pharmaceutical Services had a return on equity of 17.90% and a net margin of 16.06%.The company's revenue for the quarter was up 7.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $1.82 EPS. West Pharmaceutical Services has set its FY 2026 guidance at 7.850-8.200 EPS. Research analysts anticipate that West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. will post 6.62 earnings per share for the current year.

West Pharmaceutical Services Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, May 6th. Investors of record on Wednesday, April 29th will be paid a $0.22 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, April 29th. This represents a $0.88 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.4%. West Pharmaceutical Services's dividend payout ratio is 12.96%.

West Pharmaceutical Services announced that its board has initiated a share buyback plan on Tuesday, February 17th that allows the company to repurchase $1.00 billion in shares. This repurchase authorization allows the medical instruments supplier to buy up to 5.6% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase plans are generally a sign that the company's leadership believes its stock is undervalued.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms recently weighed in on WST. Wall Street Zen upgraded West Pharmaceutical Services from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Saturday, December 20th. Barclays decreased their price objective on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services from $325.00 to $265.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, February 13th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reissued a "buy" rating and issued a $315.00 price objective on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in a research report on Friday, February 13th. Zacks Research upgraded shares of West Pharmaceutical Services from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 21st. Finally, UBS Group reaffirmed a "buy" rating and set a $340.00 target price on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in a report on Friday, February 13th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have assigned a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of "Buy" and a consensus target price of $314.56.

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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