West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. $WST Position Boosted by Handelsbanken Fonder AB

Handelsbanken Fonder AB lifted its stake in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST) by 4.1% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 63,254 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after purchasing an additional 2,474 shares during the period. Handelsbanken Fonder AB owned about 0.09% of West Pharmaceutical Services worth $17,404,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other large investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Elyxium Wealth LLC bought a new position in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services during the fourth quarter worth about $25,000. Private Trust Co. NA lifted its position in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 156.4% during the fourth quarter. Private Trust Co. NA now owns 100 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $28,000 after purchasing an additional 61 shares during the last quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC bought a new position in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services during the fourth quarter worth about $31,000. CYBER HORNET ETFs LLC bought a new position in West Pharmaceutical Services in the second quarter worth about $25,000. Finally, Torren Management LLC acquired a new position in West Pharmaceutical Services in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $34,000. Institutional investors own 93.90% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

WST has been the subject of a number of research reports. Citigroup restated a “buy” rating on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in a research note on Friday, April 24th. Zacks Research upgraded West Pharmaceutical Services from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 13th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft restated a “buy” rating and issued a $315.00 target price on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in a research note on Friday, February 13th. Morgan Stanley set a $315.00 target price on West Pharmaceutical Services in a research note on Monday, April 27th. Finally, UBS Group restated a “buy” rating and issued a $340.00 target price on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in a research note on Friday, February 13th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have given a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, West Pharmaceutical Services currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $322.89.

West Pharmaceutical Services Stock Performance

WST opened at $305.35 on Thursday. The business’s 50 day moving average is $272.23 and its 200-day moving average is $265.75. The stock has a market cap of $21.57 billion, a PE ratio of 40.82, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.54 and a beta of 1.17. The company has a current ratio of 2.71, a quick ratio of 2.04 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.07. West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. has a twelve month low of $203.74 and a twelve month high of $330.88.

West Pharmaceutical Services (NYSE:WST) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 23rd. The medical instruments supplier reported $2.13 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.68 by $0.45. The company had revenue of $844.90 million for 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 business’s revenue for the quarter was up 21.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $1.45 earnings per share. 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. On average, analysts predict that West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. will post 8.6 earnings per share for the current year.

West Pharmaceutical Services announced that its board has authorized a share buyback plan on Tuesday, February 17th that allows the company to buyback $1.00 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization allows the medical instruments supplier to reacquire up to 5.6% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback plans are usually an indication that the company’s management believes its stock is undervalued.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, 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 transaction of $859,748.40. Following the sale, the vice president owned 16,828 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,135,905.60. The trade was a 14.34% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CAO Chad Winters sold 896 shares of West Pharmaceutical Services stock in a transaction that occurred 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 sale, the chief accounting officer directly owned 1,523 shares in the company, valued at approximately $457,920.41. This trade represents a 37.04% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders own 0.60% of the company’s stock.

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.