Wealthfront Advisers LLC bought a new position in West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST - Free Report) in the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor bought 6,440 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock, valued at approximately $2,312,000.
Other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. Bank of Nova Scotia boosted its stake in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 337.8% in the first quarter. Bank of Nova Scotia now owns 65,323 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $16,373,000 after purchasing an additional 50,402 shares during the period. Hsbc Holdings PLC increased its stake in West Pharmaceutical Services by 23.3% during the 4th quarter. Hsbc Holdings PLC now owns 146,872 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $40,425,000 after buying an additional 27,745 shares during the period. Renaissance Technologies LLC increased its stake in West Pharmaceutical Services by 100.2% during the 1st quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC now owns 209,660 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $52,549,000 after buying an additional 104,924 shares during the period. Conestoga Capital Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services by 6.7% in the 1st quarter. Conestoga Capital Advisors LLC now owns 130,970 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $32,826,000 after buying an additional 8,179 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Comerica Bank lifted its holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services by 31.8% in the 4th quarter. Comerica Bank now owns 56,693 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $15,599,000 after buying an additional 13,680 shares in the last quarter. 93.90% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.
West Pharmaceutical Services Stock Performance
Shares of West Pharmaceutical Services stock opened at $354.53 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.07, a quick ratio of 2.12 and a current ratio of 2.82. West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. has a 1 year low of $223.83 and a 1 year high of $386.00. The firm's 50-day simple moving average is $348.11 and its 200-day simple moving average is $299.38. The firm has a market cap of $24.95 billion, a PE ratio of 45.39, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.47 and a beta of 1.15.
West Pharmaceutical Services (NYSE:WST - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 23rd. The medical instruments supplier reported $2.37 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $2.08 by $0.29. The business had revenue of $872.30 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $839.98 million. West Pharmaceutical Services had a return on equity of 20.11% and a net margin of 16.98%.The company's revenue for the quarter was up 13.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm earned $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. Equities analysts forecast that West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. will post 8.93 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.
West Pharmaceutical Services Announces Dividend
The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, August 5th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, July 29th were given a $0.22 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, July 29th. This represents a $0.88 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.2%. West Pharmaceutical Services's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 11.27%.
Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades
Several analysts have recently weighed in on WST shares. TD Cowen restated a "buy" rating on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in a research note on Wednesday, July 15th. Stephens reiterated an "overweight" rating and issued a $360.00 price target on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in a research note on Tuesday, June 2nd. Morgan Stanley increased their price target on West Pharmaceutical Services from $325.00 to $365.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a report on Thursday, July 9th. Zacks Research lowered West Pharmaceutical Services from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 12th. Finally, Barclays upgraded West Pharmaceutical Services from an "equal weight" rating to an "overweight" rating and lifted their price objective for the stock from $310.00 to $400.00 in a report on Tuesday, June 9th. One investment 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. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $368.08.
View Our Latest Stock Report on WST
West Pharmaceutical Services Company Profile
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Free Report)
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.
See Also
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