West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. $WST Holdings Decreased by Whittier Trust Co.

Key Points

• Whittier Trust Co. cut its West Pharmaceutical Services stake by 56% in the first quarter, leaving it with 19,990 shares worth about $5.13 million.
• Several company insiders also sold shares, including VP Annette F. Favorite and CAO Chad Winters, while institutional investors still own 93.9% of the stock.
• West Pharmaceutical Services reported strong quarterly results, with EPS of $2.13 and revenue of $844.9 million, both above estimates, and analysts maintain a Buy consensus with a target price around $351.91.

Whittier Trust Co. trimmed its holdings in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST - Free Report) by 56.0% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 19,990 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock after selling 25,491 shares during the period. Whittier Trust Co.'s holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services were worth $5,134,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Empowered Funds LLC lifted its position in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 16.1% in the first quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 1,611 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $361,000 after purchasing an additional 224 shares in the last quarter. Intech Investment Management LLC lifted its position in West Pharmaceutical Services by 27.7% in the 1st quarter. Intech Investment Management LLC now owns 6,020 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $1,348,000 after buying an additional 1,307 shares in the last quarter. Acadian Asset Management LLC lifted its position in West Pharmaceutical Services by 14.1% in the 1st quarter. Acadian Asset Management LLC now owns 1,271 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $284,000 after buying an additional 157 shares in the last quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its stake in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 78.2% during the 2nd quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 449 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $98,000 after buying an additional 197 shares during the period. Finally, First Trust Advisors LP increased its stake in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 168.4% in the second quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 46,332 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $10,137,000 after acquiring an additional 29,067 shares during the last quarter. 93.90% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Activity at West Pharmaceutical Services

In other news, VP Annette F. Favorite sold 2,817 shares of West Pharmaceutical Services stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, April 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $305.20, for a total value of $859,748.40. Following the transaction, the vice president owned 16,828 shares of the company's stock, valued at $5,135,905.60. This trade represents a 14.34% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, CAO Chad Winters sold 896 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Monday, April 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $300.67, for a total transaction of $269,400.32. Following the completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer owned 1,523 shares of the company's stock, valued at $457,920.41. The trade was a 37.04% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Company insiders own 0.60% of the company's stock.

West Pharmaceutical Services Stock Down 1.5%

NYSE WST traded down $5.36 during trading on Tuesday, hitting $352.28. 103,782 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 914,981. West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. has a 12 month low of $206.80 and a 12 month high of $367.66. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $323.60 and a 200 day simple moving average of $279.56. The company has a market capitalization of $24.89 billion, a P/E ratio of 47.10, a PEG ratio of 3.06 and a beta of 1.16. The company has a current ratio of 2.71, a quick ratio of 2.04 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.07.

West Pharmaceutical Services (NYSE:WST - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 23rd. The medical instruments supplier reported $2.13 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.68 by $0.45. West Pharmaceutical Services had a return on equity of 19.03% and a net margin of 16.85%.The business had revenue of $844.90 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $779.67 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $1.45 EPS. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 21.0% on a year-over-year basis. West Pharmaceutical Services has set its FY 2026 guidance at 8.400-8.750 EPS and its Q2 2026 guidance at 2.050-2.120 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. will post 8.6 EPS for the current year.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts recently issued reports on WST shares. Morgan Stanley lifted their price objective on West Pharmaceutical Services from $315.00 to $325.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Friday, May 29th. Zacks Research raised West Pharmaceutical Services from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 13th. KeyCorp boosted their price target on West Pharmaceutical Services from $350.00 to $390.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Thursday. Weiss Ratings upgraded West Pharmaceutical Services from a "hold (c-)" rating to a "hold (c)" rating in a report on Monday, April 27th. Finally, Stephens reaffirmed an "overweight" rating and set a $360.00 price objective on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in a research report on Tuesday, June 2nd. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have assigned a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of "Buy" and a consensus target price of $351.91.

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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