The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company Takes Position in West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. $WST

Key Points

• The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company acquired 43,187 shares of West Pharmaceutical Services, valued at approximately $15.5 million, while institutional investors and hedge funds collectively own 93.9% of the stock.
• Analyst sentiment is positive overall, with the stock carrying a “Moderate Buy” consensus rating and an average price target of $368.08; Barclays and BNP Paribas Exane recently issued bullish ratings.
• West Pharmaceutical Services exceeded quarterly expectations, reporting $2.37 in EPS and $872.3 million in revenue, up 13.8% year over year. The company maintained a $0.22 quarterly dividend, equivalent to a 0.3% yield.

The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company acquired a new position in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST - Free Report) in the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund acquired 43,187 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock, valued at approximately $15,502,000. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company owned about 0.06% of West Pharmaceutical Services at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Jones Financial Companies Lllp bought a new stake in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services during the 2nd quarter valued at $50,000. Hyperion Capital Advisors LP bought a new position in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in the 2nd quarter worth $728,000. Cibc World Market Inc. bought a new position in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in the 2nd quarter worth $6,029,000. OMERS ADMINISTRATION Corp acquired a new stake in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services during the second quarter worth $5,009,000. Finally, Sanctuary Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services during the second quarter worth $1,492,000. 93.90% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have recently commented on WST shares. Weiss Ratings raised West Pharmaceutical Services from a "hold (c)" rating to a "hold (c+)" rating in a research note on Friday, August 7th. BNP Paribas Exane initiated coverage on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in a report on Monday, July 13th. They set an "outperform" rating and a $447.00 price objective for the company. Evercore reaffirmed an "outperform" rating and issued a $425.00 target price on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in a research note on Monday, July 27th. Zacks Research lowered shares of West Pharmaceutical Services from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Wednesday, August 12th. Finally, Barclays raised shares of West Pharmaceutical Services from an "equal weight" rating to an "overweight" rating and lifted their price target for the stock from $310.00 to $400.00 in a research report on Tuesday, June 9th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have given a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $368.08.

West Pharmaceutical Services Price Performance

NYSE WST opened at $338.21 on Friday. The firm's 50 day moving average is $350.55 and its 200-day moving average is $303.61. The company has a quick ratio of 2.12, a current ratio of 2.82 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.07. The company has a market capitalization of $23.80 billion, a PE ratio of 43.30, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.42 and a beta of 1.15. West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. has a 12-month low of $223.83 and a 12-month high of $386.00.

West Pharmaceutical Services (NYSE:WST - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, July 23rd. The medical instruments supplier reported $2.37 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.08 by $0.29. West Pharmaceutical Services had a net margin of 16.98% and a return on equity of 20.11%. The business had revenue of $872.30 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $839.98 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $1.84 earnings per share. The firm's revenue was up 13.8% on a year-over-year basis. 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. Equities research analysts anticipate that West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. will post 8.93 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

West Pharmaceutical Services Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, August 5th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, July 29th were issued a $0.22 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, July 29th. This represents a $0.88 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.3%. West Pharmaceutical Services's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 11.27%.

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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