Weiss Asset Management LP Invests $1.99 Million in West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. $WST

Key Points

• Weiss Asset Management acquired a new 7,924-share stake in West Pharmaceutical Services valued at approximately $1.99 million. Institutional investors and hedge funds collectively own 93.9% of the company.
• West reported quarterly EPS of $2.37 and revenue of $872.3 million, exceeding analyst expectations, while revenue increased 13.8% year over year. The company issued third-quarter and full-year 2026 earnings guidance, with analysts forecasting $8.93 in fiscal-year EPS.
• The company announced a quarterly dividend of $0.22 per share, equal to an annualized $0.88 payout and a 0.3% yield. Analysts maintain a consensus “Buy” rating with an average price target of $363.17.

Weiss Asset Management LP acquired a new stake in West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST - Free Report) during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund acquired 7,924 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock, valued at approximately $1,986,000.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Birch Hill Investment Advisors LLC boosted its position in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 11.5% during the fourth quarter. Birch Hill Investment Advisors LLC now owns 152,148 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $41,862,000 after buying an additional 15,678 shares during the period. Brendel Financial Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in West Pharmaceutical Services in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $3,742,000. DAVENPORT & Co LLC raised its position in West Pharmaceutical Services by 559.8% in the 4th quarter. DAVENPORT & Co LLC now owns 9,521 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $2,620,000 after buying an additional 8,078 shares during the last quarter. Annex Advisory Services LLC lifted its stake in West Pharmaceutical Services by 8.7% in the 4th quarter. Annex Advisory Services LLC now owns 122,958 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $33,831,000 after acquiring an additional 9,800 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Hsbc Holdings PLC lifted its stake in West Pharmaceutical Services by 23.3% in the 4th quarter. Hsbc Holdings PLC now owns 146,872 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $40,425,000 after acquiring an additional 27,745 shares in the last quarter. 93.90% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

West Pharmaceutical Services Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE WST opened at $328.61 on Monday. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $337.02 and a 200 day moving average price of $287.49. West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. has a 52 week low of $223.83 and a 52 week high of $386.00. 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 $23.13 billion, a PE ratio of 42.08, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.56 and a beta of 1.16.

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 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.08 by $0.29. The firm had revenue of $872.30 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $839.98 million. West Pharmaceutical Services had a return on equity of 20.11% and a net margin of 16.98%.The business's quarterly revenue was up 13.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $1.84 EPS. 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. Analysts predict 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 will be paid on Wednesday, August 5th. Investors of record on Wednesday, July 29th will be paid a $0.22 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is 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 currently 11.27%.

Key Stories Impacting West Pharmaceutical Services

Here are the key news stories impacting West Pharmaceutical Services this week:

• Positive Sentiment: West posted a strong second quarter, with adjusted EPS of $2.37 and revenue of $872.3 million, both above expectations. The company also raised full-year 2026 EPS guidance and gave third-quarter guidance that topped consensus, which supports the longer-term outlook. West Reports Second-Quarter 2026 Results
• Positive Sentiment: Demand remains strong for high-value injectable drug components, including products tied to GLP-1 and biologics markets, which helped drive the beat and the higher outlook. Reuters article on raised forecast
• Neutral Sentiment: Investors may be taking profits after the stock’s sharp earnings-driven surge in the prior session, especially since there was no major new negative company announcement or filing behind today’s weakness. Quiver Quantitative article
• Neutral Sentiment: Recent insider sales from two executives may add a small overhang, but the activity is limited and does not appear to be the main driver of the stock’s move. Insider trading details

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

WST has been the subject of several research reports. Wolfe Research started coverage on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in a research note on Monday, June 1st. They set an "outperform" rating and a $375.00 price target for the company. Morgan Stanley boosted their price objective on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services from $325.00 to $365.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Thursday, July 9th. KeyCorp increased their target price on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services from $350.00 to $390.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Thursday, July 2nd. Zacks Research raised shares of West Pharmaceutical Services from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 13th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reiterated a "hold (c)" rating on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in a research note on Friday. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have issued a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Buy" and an average price target of $363.17.

About West Pharmaceutical Services

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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