Van ECK Associates Corp Sells 61,308 Shares of West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. $WST

Van ECK Associates Corp cut its position in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST) by 4.1% during the third quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor owned 1,424,879 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after selling 61,308 shares during the quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp’s holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services were worth $373,789,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. CYBER HORNET ETFs LLC acquired a new stake in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $25,000. Vermillion & White Wealth Management Group LLC increased its holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services by 193.9% in the 2nd quarter. Vermillion & White Wealth Management Group LLC now owns 144 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $32,000 after buying an additional 95 shares during the period. SJS Investment Consulting Inc. raised its stake 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 buying an additional 129 shares in the last quarter. Pilgrim Partners Asia Pte Ltd acquired a new stake in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services during the 3rd quarter valued at about $47,000. Finally, MUFG Securities EMEA plc bought a new stake in West Pharmaceutical Services in the second quarter valued at about $47,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 93.90% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts have weighed in on the company. Wall Street Zen raised West Pharmaceutical Services from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Saturday, December 20th. Morgan Stanley started coverage on West Pharmaceutical Services in a research note on Monday, December 1st. They set an “equal weight” rating and a $285.00 price objective for the company. Zacks Research upgraded shares of West Pharmaceutical Services from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 21st. UBS Group reissued a “buy” rating and set a $340.00 price target on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in a report on Friday, February 13th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $295.00 target price on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in a research note on Tuesday, February 10th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have given a Buy rating and three have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $314.56.

West Pharmaceutical Services Trading Up 0.8%

WST stock opened at $247.73 on Tuesday. The business has a fifty day moving average of $253.16 and a 200-day moving average of $262.29. The company has a quick ratio of 2.34, a current ratio of 3.02 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.06. The company has a market cap of $17.84 billion, a P/E ratio of 36.48, a PEG ratio of 2.61 and a beta of 1.17. West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. has a twelve month low of $187.43 and a twelve month high of $322.34.

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

West Pharmaceutical Services Announces Dividend

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

West Pharmaceutical Services declared that its Board of Directors has authorized a share buyback program on Tuesday, February 17th that authorizes the company to repurchase $1.00 billion in shares. This repurchase authorization authorizes the medical instruments supplier to purchase up to 5.6% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase programs are often an indication that the company’s management believes its shares are undervalued.

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.