West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. $WST Shares Sold by KBC Group NV

Key Points

• KBC Group NV cut its West Pharmaceutical Services stake by 55.1% in the first quarter, selling 11,791 shares and leaving it with 9,610 shares worth about $2.41 million.
• West reported a strong second quarter, with EPS of $2.37 and revenue of $872.3 million, both ahead of estimates. The company also raised its full-year and third-quarter guidance, signaling confidence in continued demand.
• The stock is supported by a mostly bullish analyst backdrop: several firms recently reiterated or initiated Buy/Outperform ratings, and the consensus price target is about $363.17. West also declared a quarterly dividend of $0.22 per share, payable August 5.

KBC Group NV decreased its stake in West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST - Free Report) by 55.1% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 9,610 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock after selling 11,791 shares during the period. KBC Group NV's holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services were worth $2,409,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Darwin Wealth Management LLC increased its position in West Pharmaceutical Services by 10.8% in the fourth quarter. Darwin Wealth Management LLC now owns 410 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $113,000 after buying an additional 40 shares during the period. IFM Investors Pty Ltd lifted its stake in West Pharmaceutical Services by 0.3% in the first quarter. IFM Investors Pty Ltd now owns 13,773 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $3,452,000 after buying an additional 43 shares during the last quarter. Aptus Capital Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 5.5% during the fourth quarter. Aptus Capital Advisors LLC now owns 905 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $249,000 after acquiring an additional 47 shares during the period. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC grew its position in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 90.9% during the first quarter. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC now owns 105 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $26,000 after acquiring an additional 50 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Benjamin Edwards Inc. grew its position in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 1.7% during the second quarter. Benjamin Edwards Inc. now owns 3,021 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $661,000 after acquiring an additional 50 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 93.90% of the company's stock.

West Pharmaceutical Services Price Performance

Shares of NYSE WST opened at $328.61 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $23.22 billion, a P/E ratio of 42.08, a P/E/G ratio of 2.77 and a beta of 1.16. The firm's 50-day simple moving average is $337.02 and its 200 day simple moving average is $287.43. West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $223.83 and a fifty-two week high of $386.00. The company has a quick ratio of 2.04, a current ratio of 2.82 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.07.

West Pharmaceutical Services (NYSE:WST - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, July 23rd. The medical instruments supplier reported $2.37 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $2.08 by $0.29. The firm had revenue of $872.30 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $839.98 million. West Pharmaceutical Services had a net margin of 16.98% and a return on equity of 20.11%. West Pharmaceutical Services's revenue was up 13.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $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. Equities analysts expect that West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. will post 8.95 EPS for the current year.

West Pharmaceutical Services Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, August 5th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, July 29th will be issued a $0.22 dividend. The ex-dividend date 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 11.76%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

WST has been the topic of several recent research reports. Stephens reiterated an "overweight" rating and issued a $360.00 price objective on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in a research report on Tuesday, June 2nd. Wolfe Research started coverage on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in a research report on Monday, June 1st. They issued an "outperform" rating and a $375.00 target price for the company. Evercore restated an "outperform" rating and issued a $410.00 price target on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in a research note on Monday, July 6th. KeyCorp lifted their price target on West Pharmaceutical Services from $350.00 to $390.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Thursday, July 2nd. Finally, BNP Paribas Exane initiated coverage on West Pharmaceutical Services in a research report on Monday, July 13th. They set an "outperform" rating and a $447.00 price objective for the company. Two research 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. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of "Buy" and an average price target of $363.17.

West Pharmaceutical Services News Summary

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

Insider Activity at West Pharmaceutical Services

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

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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