Jennison Associates LLC Acquires 17,363 Shares of West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. $WST

Jennison Associates LLC boosted its holdings in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST) by 46.6% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 54,593 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after purchasing an additional 17,363 shares during the quarter. Jennison Associates LLC’s holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services were worth $15,021,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Private Trust Co. NA raised its stake in West Pharmaceutical Services by 156.4% during the 4th quarter. Private Trust Co. NA now owns 100 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $28,000 after purchasing an additional 61 shares during the period. CYBER HORNET ETFs LLC purchased a new position in West Pharmaceutical Services during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Torren Management LLC purchased a new position in West Pharmaceutical Services during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $34,000. SJS Investment Consulting Inc. grew its holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services by 1,842.9% during 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. Finally, Pilgrim Partners Asia Pte Ltd purchased a new position in West Pharmaceutical Services during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $47,000. Institutional investors own 93.90% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, CAO Chad Winters sold 896 shares of West Pharmaceutical Services stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, April 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $300.67, for a total value of $269,400.32. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer owned 1,523 shares in the company, valued at approximately $457,920.41. The trade was a 37.04% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, VP Annette F. Favorite sold 2,817 shares of West Pharmaceutical Services 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 transaction, the vice president owned 16,828 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,135,905.60. This trade represents a 14.34% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. 0.60% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

West Pharmaceutical Services Price Performance

Shares of West Pharmaceutical Services stock opened at $300.55 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $21.23 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 40.18, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.51 and a beta of 1.17. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.07, a quick ratio of 2.04 and a current ratio of 2.71. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $257.16 and a 200-day moving average price of $263.24. West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. has a one year low of $202.79 and a one year high of $322.34.

West Pharmaceutical Services (NYSE:WST) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, April 23rd. The medical instruments supplier reported $2.13 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.68 by $0.45. The firm had revenue of $844.90 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $779.68 million. West Pharmaceutical Services had a return on equity of 19.03% and a net margin of 16.85%.The company’s quarterly revenue was up 21.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $1.45 EPS. West Pharmaceutical Services has set its FY 2026 guidance at 8.400-8.750 EPS and its Q2 2026 guidance at 2.050-2.120 EPS. Equities analysts expect that West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. will post 8.61 EPS for the current year.

West Pharmaceutical Services declared that its board has initiated a share buyback plan on Tuesday, February 17th that allows the company to buyback $1.00 billion in shares. This buyback authorization allows the medical instruments supplier to buy up to 5.6% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback plans are generally an indication that the company’s leadership believes its shares are undervalued.

West Pharmaceutical Services Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, May 6th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, April 29th will be issued 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 0.3%. West Pharmaceutical Services’s payout ratio is 11.76%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms have weighed in on WST. Citigroup restated a “buy” rating on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in a report on Friday, April 24th. Evercore restated an “outperform” rating on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in a report on Friday, April 24th. Zacks Research cut West Pharmaceutical Services from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, April 14th. Morgan Stanley set a $315.00 price target on West Pharmaceutical Services in a report on Monday, April 27th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group restated a “buy” rating and set a $295.00 price target on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in a report on Tuesday, February 10th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have assigned a Buy rating and four have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $322.89.

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.