LGT Group Foundation Sells 14,341 Shares of West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. $WST

LGT Group Foundation decreased its holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST) by 6.4% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 209,585 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after selling 14,341 shares during the quarter. LGT Group Foundation owned 0.29% of West Pharmaceutical Services worth $56,886,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its stake in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 4.2% in the third quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 9,704,948 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $2,545,899,000 after acquiring an additional 388,144 shares during the period. State Street Corp boosted its holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services by 2.1% in the second quarter. State Street Corp now owns 3,271,866 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $715,884,000 after purchasing an additional 68,330 shares during the last quarter. Artisan Partners Limited Partnership grew its position in West Pharmaceutical Services by 22.2% in the 3rd quarter. Artisan Partners Limited Partnership now owns 2,770,920 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $726,895,000 after purchasing an additional 503,601 shares during the period. Generation Investment Management LLP bought a new stake in West Pharmaceutical Services in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $255,072,000. Finally, Invesco Ltd. raised its stake in West Pharmaceutical Services by 1.1% during the 2nd quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 959,525 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $209,944,000 after buying an additional 10,070 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 93.90% of the company’s stock.

West Pharmaceutical Services Price Performance

NYSE WST opened at $245.92 on Monday. The company has a current ratio of 3.02, a quick ratio of 2.34 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.06. West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. has a 12 month low of $187.43 and a 12 month high of $322.34. The stock has a market cap of $17.71 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 36.22, a PEG ratio of 2.61 and a beta of 1.17. The company’s 50 day moving average is $253.72 and its two-hundred day moving average is $262.25.

West Pharmaceutical Services (NYSE:WST) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 12th. The medical instruments supplier reported $2.04 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.83 by $0.21. West Pharmaceutical Services had a net margin of 16.06% and a return on equity of 17.90%. The firm had revenue of $805.00 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $795.70 million. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $1.82 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 7.5% compared to the same quarter last year. West Pharmaceutical Services has set its FY 2026 guidance at 7.850-8.200 EPS. As a group, research analysts anticipate that West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. will post 6.62 earnings per share for the current year.

West Pharmaceutical Services declared that its board has approved a share buyback program 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 repurchase up to 5.6% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase programs are generally an indication that the company’s management believes its shares are undervalued.

West Pharmaceutical Services Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, May 6th. Investors of record on Wednesday, April 29th will be given a dividend of $0.22 per share. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, April 29th. This represents a $0.88 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.4%. West Pharmaceutical Services’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 12.96%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts recently commented on WST shares. Wall Street Zen upgraded West Pharmaceutical Services from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Saturday, December 20th. Morgan Stanley assumed coverage on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in a research report on Monday, December 1st. They set an “equal weight” rating and a $285.00 price target for the company. UBS Group reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $340.00 price objective on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in a research note on Friday, February 13th. Jefferies Financial Group restated a “buy” rating and set a $295.00 target price on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in a research report on Tuesday, February 10th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in a research report on Friday, January 9th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have assigned a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $314.56.

Key Stories Impacting West Pharmaceutical Services

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

• Positive Sentiment: Zacks Research raised several near‑term and multi‑year EPS estimates for WST (notable changes: FY2026 to $7.85 from $7.52, FY2027 to $8.79 from $8.51, and FY2028 to $10.29) and upgraded multiple quarter forecasts (Q1–Q4 2026 and Q1/Q4 2027). The firm keeps a “Strong‑Buy” rating — a coordinated set of upgrades that tends to support investor conviction and share demand. MarketBeat: West Pharmaceutical Services
• Neutral Sentiment: These revisions largely align with West’s own FY2026 guidance range (7.85–8.20 EPS), so part of the move may reflect confirmation of management direction rather than a surprise beat. Analysts’ models can change and represent expectations, not guarantees.

West Pharmaceutical Services Company 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.