ING Groep NV Decreases Stake in West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. $WST

ING Groep NV lowered its holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST) by 54.2% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 14,853 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after selling 17,581 shares during the quarter. ING Groep NV’s holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services were worth $4,087,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Elyxium Wealth LLC purchased a new position in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in the fourth quarter worth $25,000. Private Trust Co. NA raised its stake in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 156.4% in 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 purchased a new position in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in the fourth quarter worth $31,000. CYBER HORNET ETFs LLC purchased a new position in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in the second quarter worth $25,000. Finally, Torren Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in the fourth quarter worth $34,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 93.90% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity

In other West Pharmaceutical Services news, VP Annette F. Favorite sold 2,817 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, April 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $305.20, for a total transaction of $859,748.40. Following the completion of 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 document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CAO Chad Winters sold 896 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated 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 of the company’s stock, valued at $457,920.41. This represents a 37.04% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders own 0.60% of the company’s stock.

West Pharmaceutical Services Trading Up 1.7%

Shares of West Pharmaceutical Services stock opened at $319.98 on Tuesday. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $292.30 and its 200-day simple moving average is $269.75. The stock has a market capitalization of $22.61 billion, a PE ratio of 42.78, a P/E/G ratio of 2.63 and a beta of 1.18. West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. has a 1-year low of $206.80 and a 1-year high of $330.88. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.07, a current ratio of 2.71 and a quick ratio of 2.04.

West Pharmaceutical Services (NYSE:WST) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 23rd. The medical instruments supplier reported $2.13 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.68 by $0.45. The business had revenue of $844.90 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $779.68 million. West Pharmaceutical Services had a net margin of 16.85% and a return on equity of 19.03%. The company’s revenue was up 21.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $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. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. will post 8.6 earnings per share for the current year.

West Pharmaceutical Services announced that its board has initiated a stock buyback plan on Tuesday, February 17th that authorizes the company to buyback $1.00 billion in shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the medical instruments supplier to buy up to 5.6% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback plans are typically a sign that the company’s board believes its stock is undervalued.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms have recently weighed in on WST. Evercore restated an “outperform” rating on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in a research note on Friday, April 24th. Weiss Ratings raised West Pharmaceutical Services from a “hold (c-)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a report on Monday, April 27th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $315.00 price objective on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in a report on Friday, February 13th. Morgan Stanley lifted their price objective on West Pharmaceutical Services from $315.00 to $325.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Friday, May 29th. Finally, UBS Group reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $340.00 price objective on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in a report on Friday, February 13th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have given a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $331.91.

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.