West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. $WST Shares Bought by Nordea Investment Management AB

Nordea Investment Management AB boosted its holdings in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST) by 42.7% during the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm owned 14,950 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after purchasing an additional 4,477 shares during the period. Nordea Investment Management AB’s holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services were worth $4,122,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Rockland Trust Co. increased its holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services by 6.5% in the 3rd quarter. Rockland Trust Co. now owns 83,066 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $21,791,000 after acquiring an additional 5,087 shares in the last quarter. Holocene Advisors LP acquired a new position in West Pharmaceutical Services during the third quarter worth $49,085,000. Cibc World Market Inc. lifted its holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services by 300.0% during the third quarter. Cibc World Market Inc. now owns 18,586 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $4,876,000 after purchasing an additional 13,940 shares in the last quarter. Truist Financial Corp grew its position in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 73.7% in the third quarter. Truist Financial Corp now owns 29,107 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $7,636,000 after purchasing an additional 12,348 shares during the period. Finally, Asset Management One Co. Ltd. grew its position in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 16.7% in the third quarter. Asset Management One Co. Ltd. now owns 69,775 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $18,304,000 after purchasing an additional 10,009 shares during the period. 93.90% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

West Pharmaceutical Services Trading Down 1.9%

Shares of West Pharmaceutical Services stock opened at $243.53 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.06, a current ratio of 3.02 and a quick ratio of 2.34. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $243.37 and its 200-day simple moving average is $261.37. The stock has a market cap of $17.55 billion, a P/E ratio of 35.87, a P/E/G ratio of 2.64 and a beta of 1.17. West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. has a 1-year low of $187.43 and a 1-year high of $322.34.

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

West Pharmaceutical Services declared that its Board of Directors has authorized a stock repurchase plan on Tuesday, February 17th that permits the company to buyback $1.00 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization permits the medical instruments supplier to buy up to 5.6% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback plans are generally an indication that the company’s management believes its stock is undervalued.

West Pharmaceutical Services Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, May 6th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, April 29th will be paid a $0.22 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend 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 (DPR) is 12.96%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have recently commented on the stock. Jefferies Financial Group reissued a “buy” rating and set a $295.00 target price on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in a research note on Tuesday, February 10th. Zacks Research raised shares of West Pharmaceutical Services from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 21st. Wall Street Zen upgraded West Pharmaceutical Services from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Saturday, December 20th. UBS Group reissued a “buy” rating and set a $340.00 target price on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in a report on Friday, February 13th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft restated a “buy” rating and issued a $315.00 target price on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in a research report on Friday, February 13th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have given a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, West Pharmaceutical Services has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $314.56.

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.