State Street Corp Acquires 54,920 Shares of West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. $WST

Key Points

• State Street increased its West Pharmaceutical Services stake by 1.7% in the second quarter, adding 54,920 shares to own 3.35 million shares worth approximately $1.2 billion, or 4.76% of the company.
• Institutional investors own 93.9% of WST, while insiders sold 15,659 shares worth $5.44 million over the past 90 days. Vice President Annette Favorite separately sold 2,524 shares for $921,260 under a pre-arranged trading plan.
• Analysts maintain a favorable outlook, with a consensus “Moderate Buy” rating and an average $382 price target. West Pharmaceutical exceeded quarterly earnings and revenue estimates, reporting $2.37 EPS and $872.3 million in revenue, while guiding for fiscal-year 2026 EPS of $8.85–$9.05.

State Street Corp raised its stake in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST - Free Report) by 1.7% during the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 3,348,698 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock after purchasing an additional 54,920 shares during the period. State Street Corp owned 4.76% of West Pharmaceutical Services worth $1,202,183,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other large investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC grew its holdings in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 90.9% in the first quarter. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC now owns 105 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 50 shares during the last quarter. Bayban bought a new position in West Pharmaceutical Services in the 4th quarter worth about $27,000. Avalon Trust Co purchased a new position in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services during the second quarter worth approximately $28,000. Addison Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services during the second quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Finally, Raiffeisen Bank International AG raised its stake in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 95.6% during the second quarter. Raiffeisen Bank International AG now owns 133 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $47,000 after acquiring an additional 65 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 93.90% of the company's stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at West Pharmaceutical Services

In other news, VP Annette Favorite sold 2,524 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, September 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $365.00, for a total value of $921,260.00. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president owned 21,818 shares of the company's stock, valued at $7,963,570. This trade represents a 10.37% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 15,659 shares of company stock valued at $5,443,749. 0.60% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

WST has been the topic of several research analyst reports. KeyCorp increased their price objective on West Pharmaceutical Services from $350.00 to $390.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Thursday, July 2nd. Stephens reaffirmed an "overweight" rating and set a $360.00 target price on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in a research report on Tuesday, June 2nd. TD Cowen reiterated a "buy" rating on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in a report on Wednesday, July 15th. Evercore reissued an "outperform" rating and set a $425.00 price target on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in a research report on Monday, July 27th. Finally, BNP Paribas Exane started coverage on West Pharmaceutical Services in a research note on Monday, July 13th. They set an "outperform" rating and a $447.00 price target on the stock. Twelve equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, West Pharmaceutical Services presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $382.00.

West Pharmaceutical Services Stock Up 2.7%

NYSE:WST opened at $371.58 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.07, a quick ratio of 2.12 and a current ratio of 2.82. The stock has a market capitalization of $26.15 billion, a P/E ratio of 47.58, a P/E/G ratio of 2.53 and a beta of 1.14. The company's 50-day simple moving average is $349.39 and its 200-day simple moving average is $316.35. West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $223.83 and a fifty-two week high of $386.00.

West Pharmaceutical Services (NYSE:WST - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, July 23rd. The medical instruments supplier reported $2.37 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $2.08 by $0.29. The company had revenue of $872.30 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $839.98 million. West Pharmaceutical Services had a net margin of 16.98% and a return on equity of 20.11%. West Pharmaceutical Services's revenue for the quarter was up 13.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $1.84 earnings per share. West Pharmaceutical Services has set its Q3 2026 guidance at 2.140-2.240 EPS and its FY 2026 guidance at 8.850-9.050 EPS. On average, equities analysts anticipate that West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. will post 8.93 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

West Pharmaceutical Services Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, August 5th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, July 29th were issued a dividend of $0.22 per share. This represents a $0.88 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.2%. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, July 29th. West Pharmaceutical Services's dividend payout ratio is currently 11.27%.

About West Pharmaceutical Services

West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc NYSE: WST develops and manufactures components and systems used to package, contain and deliver injectable medicines and other healthcare products. Its customers include pharmaceutical, biotechnology and medical device companies, which use West products in drug administration and medical applications.

The company's offerings include elastomer components such as stoppers, plungers and seals; syringe and cartridge components; vial and container closure systems; and specialized delivery systems for injectable and other complex medicines.

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