West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. $WST Shares Sold by Fifth Third Bancorp

Fifth Third Bancorp decreased its holdings in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST) by 17.1% in the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 9,412 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after selling 1,943 shares during the quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp’s holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services were worth $2,590,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in WST. Empowered Funds LLC boosted its stake in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 16.1% during the first quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 1,611 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $361,000 after buying an additional 224 shares during the period. Intech Investment Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 27.7% during the first quarter. Intech Investment Management LLC now owns 6,020 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $1,348,000 after buying an additional 1,307 shares during the period. Acadian Asset Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 14.1% during the first quarter. Acadian Asset Management LLC now owns 1,271 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $284,000 after buying an additional 157 shares during the period. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its stake in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 78.2% during the second quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 449 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $98,000 after buying an additional 197 shares during the period. Finally, First Trust Advisors LP boosted its stake in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 168.4% during the second quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 46,332 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $10,137,000 after buying an additional 29,067 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 93.90% of the company’s stock.

West Pharmaceutical Services Trading Down 0.0%

Shares of West Pharmaceutical Services stock opened at $300.55 on Monday. West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. has a 12-month low of $202.79 and a 12-month high of $322.34. The company has a current ratio of 2.71, a quick ratio of 2.04 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.07. The stock has a market cap of $21.23 billion, a PE ratio of 40.18, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.51 and a beta of 1.17. The company has a 50-day moving average of $257.16 and a two-hundred day moving average of $263.26.

West Pharmaceutical Services (NYSE:WST) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, April 23rd. The medical instruments supplier reported $2.13 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.68 by $0.45. West Pharmaceutical Services had a net margin of 16.85% and a return on equity of 19.03%. The company had revenue of $844.90 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $779.68 million. During the same period last year, the company posted $1.45 earnings per share. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 21.0% compared to the same quarter last year. 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, research analysts anticipate that West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. will post 8.61 EPS for the current fiscal year.

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

West Pharmaceutical Services Announces Dividend

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 issued 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 yield of 0.3%. West Pharmaceutical Services’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 11.76%.

Insider Transactions at West Pharmaceutical Services

In other West Pharmaceutical Services news, CAO Chad Winters sold 896 shares of the 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 completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer directly owned 1,523 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $457,920.41. This trade represents a 37.04% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, VP Annette F. Favorite sold 2,817 shares of the firm’s 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 transaction, the vice president directly 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 ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Company insiders own 0.60% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Zacks Research downgraded shares of West Pharmaceutical Services from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 14th. Barclays increased their price target on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services from $275.00 to $310.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Monday, April 27th. 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. Weiss Ratings raised shares of West Pharmaceutical Services from a “hold (c-)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a report on Monday, April 27th. Finally, Morgan Stanley set a $315.00 price target on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in a report on Monday, April 27th. One 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’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $322.89.

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.