West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. $WST Shares Sold by Squarepoint Ops LLC

Key Points

• Squarepoint Ops LLC reduced its West Pharmaceutical Services stake by 86% in the second quarter, selling 20,348 shares and retaining 3,313 shares valued at approximately $1.19 million. Institutional investors and hedge funds collectively own 93.9% of the stock.
• West Pharmaceutical Services exceeded quarterly expectations, reporting $2.37 in EPS versus the $2.08 consensus and revenue of $872.3 million, up 13.8% year over year. The company issued fiscal 2026 EPS guidance of $8.85 to $9.05.
• Analysts maintain a generally positive outlook, with an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $379.08; recent targets range as high as $415. The company also pays a quarterly dividend of $0.22, or $0.88 annually, yielding about 0.2%.

Squarepoint Ops LLC cut its stake in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST - Free Report) by 86.0% in the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 3,313 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock after selling 20,348 shares during the period. Squarepoint Ops LLC's holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services were worth $1,189,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in WST. Bank of Nova Scotia increased its stake in West Pharmaceutical Services by 337.8% during the first quarter. Bank of Nova Scotia now owns 65,323 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $16,373,000 after acquiring an additional 50,402 shares during the last quarter. Hsbc Holdings PLC lifted its stake in shares of 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 purchasing an additional 27,745 shares in the last quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC lifted its stake in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 100.2% in the 1st quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC now owns 209,660 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $52,549,000 after purchasing an additional 104,924 shares in the last quarter. Conestoga Capital Advisors LLC grew its holdings in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 6.7% during the 1st quarter. Conestoga Capital Advisors LLC now owns 130,970 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $32,826,000 after purchasing an additional 8,179 shares during the period. Finally, Ilmarinen Mutual Pension Insurance Co acquired a new stake in West Pharmaceutical Services during the 4th quarter worth approximately $3,027,000. 93.90% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

West Pharmaceutical Services Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:WST opened at $362.77 on Thursday. The business's 50-day simple moving average is $348.74 and its 200 day simple moving average is $313.14. The company has a market cap of $25.53 billion, a P/E ratio of 46.45, a PEG ratio of 2.55 and a beta of 1.14. 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 one year low of $223.83 and a one year high of $386.00.

West Pharmaceutical Services (NYSE:WST - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 23rd. The medical instruments supplier reported $2.37 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $2.08 by $0.29. West Pharmaceutical Services had a return on equity of 20.11% and a net margin of 16.98%.The firm had revenue of $872.30 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $839.98 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $1.84 EPS. West Pharmaceutical Services's quarterly revenue was up 13.8% compared to the same quarter last year. 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. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. will post 8.93 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

West Pharmaceutical Services Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, August 5th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, July 29th were paid 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 is 11.27%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms recently commented on WST. Stephens restated an "overweight" rating and issued a $360.00 price target on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in a report on Tuesday, June 2nd. Citigroup boosted their price objective on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services from $400.00 to $412.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Monday, August 3rd. Wolfe Research assumed coverage on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in a research report on Monday, June 1st. They issued an "outperform" rating and a $375.00 price objective for the company. UBS Group raised their target price on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services from $340.00 to $415.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, September 9th. Finally, Barclays upgraded shares of West Pharmaceutical Services from an "equal weight" rating to an "overweight" rating and lifted their target price for the company from $310.00 to $400.00 in a report on Tuesday, June 9th. Eleven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have assigned a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, West Pharmaceutical Services has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $379.08.

Insider Buying and Selling at West Pharmaceutical Services

In related news, VP Annette Favorite sold 8,135 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, September 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $340.81, for a total transaction of $2,772,489.35. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president directly owned 16,845 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $5,740,944.45. This trade represents a 32.57% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Insiders have sold 15,659 shares of company stock valued at $5,443,749 in the last ninety days. 0.60% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

West Pharmaceutical Services Profile

West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc NYSE: WST develops and manufactures components and systems used to package, contain and deliver injectable medicines and other healthcare products. Its customers include pharmaceutical, biotechnology and medical device companies, which use West products in drug administration and medical applications.

The company's offerings include elastomer components such as stoppers, plungers and seals; syringe and cartridge components; vial and container closure systems; and specialized delivery systems for injectable and other complex medicines.

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