West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. $WST Shares Sold by Bright Rock Capital Management LLC

Key Points

• Bright Rock Capital cut its stake in West Pharmaceutical by 87.5% in Q4, selling 35,000 shares and retaining 5,000 shares worth $1.376 million, while overall institutional ownership stands at about 93.9%.
• West beat Q4 estimates with $2.04 EPS versus $1.83 expected and $805M revenue (up 7.5% YoY), and set FY2026 guidance of $7.85–$8.20 per share versus analyst consensus nearer-term estimate of $6.62.
• The company’s board authorized a $1.0 billion share repurchase program (up to ~5.6% of shares) and declared a quarterly dividend of $0.22 ($0.88 annually, ~0.4% yield).

Bright Rock Capital Management LLC reduced its position in West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST - Free Report) by 87.5% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 5,000 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock after selling 35,000 shares during the period. Bright Rock Capital Management LLC's holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services were worth $1,376,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in WST. CYBER HORNET ETFs LLC acquired a new position in West Pharmaceutical Services in the 2nd quarter valued at $25,000. SJS Investment Consulting Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 1,842.9% in the 3rd quarter. SJS Investment Consulting Inc. now owns 136 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $36,000 after purchasing an additional 129 shares during the last quarter. Pilgrim Partners Asia Pte Ltd acquired a new position in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in the 3rd quarter valued at $47,000. MUFG Securities EMEA plc purchased a new stake in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services during the 2nd quarter valued at $47,000. Finally, State of Wyoming purchased a new stake in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services during the 2nd quarter valued at $49,000. 93.90% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

West Pharmaceutical Services Stock Up 0.7%

WST opened at $244.93 on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.06, a current ratio of 3.02 and a quick ratio of 2.34. West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. has a 12 month low of $187.43 and a 12 month high of $322.34. The stock's 50 day moving average price is $243.07 and its 200 day moving average price is $261.35. The stock has a market cap of $17.65 billion, a P/E ratio of 36.07, a P/E/G ratio of 2.59 and a beta of 1.17.

West Pharmaceutical Services (NYSE:WST - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 12th. The medical instruments supplier reported $2.04 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.83 by $0.21. The company had revenue of $805.00 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $795.70 million. West Pharmaceutical Services had a return on equity of 17.90% and a net margin of 16.06%.The company's quarterly revenue was up 7.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company earned $1.82 earnings per share. West Pharmaceutical Services has set its FY 2026 guidance at 7.850-8.200 EPS. As a group, research analysts predict that West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. will post 6.62 earnings per share for the current year.

West Pharmaceutical Services declared that its Board of Directors has authorized a share repurchase plan on Tuesday, February 17th that allows the company to repurchase $1.00 billion in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization allows the medical instruments supplier to reacquire up to 5.6% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase plans are often a sign that the company's board of directors believes its shares are undervalued.

West Pharmaceutical Services Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, May 6th. Investors of record on Wednesday, April 29th will be issued a $0.22 dividend. This represents a $0.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.4%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, April 29th. West Pharmaceutical Services's payout ratio is presently 12.96%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts have issued reports on WST shares. Evercore lowered their price target on West Pharmaceutical Services from $390.00 to $320.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, February 3rd. Wall Street Zen raised West Pharmaceutical Services from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Saturday, December 20th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reiterated a "buy" rating and set a $315.00 target price on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in a report on Friday, February 13th. Barclays cut their price target on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services from $325.00 to $265.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, February 13th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a "hold (c)" rating on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in a research report on Friday, January 9th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have assigned a Buy rating and three have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Buy" and a consensus price target of $314.56.

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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