Truist Financial Corp Cuts Stock Position in West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. $WST

Truist Financial Corp lessened its stake in West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST) by 8.6% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 26,607 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after selling 2,500 shares during the quarter. Truist Financial Corp’s holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services were worth $7,321,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors have also modified their holdings of the business. Danske Bank A S grew its holdings in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 5.2% during the fourth quarter. Danske Bank A S now owns 33,517 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $9,222,000 after buying an additional 1,654 shares in the last quarter. Conestoga Capital Advisors LLC grew its holdings in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 21.8% in the fourth quarter. Conestoga Capital Advisors LLC now owns 122,791 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $33,785,000 after purchasing an additional 22,008 shares during the period. Oppenheimer & Co. Inc. grew its holdings in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 1.4% in the fourth quarter. Oppenheimer & Co. Inc. now owns 4,494 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $1,236,000 after purchasing an additional 62 shares during the period. Jennison Associates LLC lifted its position in West Pharmaceutical Services by 46.6% in the fourth quarter. Jennison Associates LLC now owns 54,593 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $15,021,000 after buying an additional 17,363 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Wealthfront Advisers LLC lifted its position in West Pharmaceutical Services by 22.5% in the fourth quarter. Wealthfront Advisers LLC now owns 5,479 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $1,507,000 after buying an additional 1,007 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 93.90% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at West Pharmaceutical Services

In other news, VP Annette F. Favorite sold 2,817 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, April 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $305.20, for a total transaction of $859,748.40. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president owned 16,828 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $5,135,905.60. This represents a 14.34% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, CAO Chad Winters sold 896 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, April 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $300.67, for a total transaction of $269,400.32. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer directly owned 1,523 shares in the company, valued at approximately $457,920.41. This represents a 37.04% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders own 0.60% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms have commented on WST. UBS Group reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $340.00 target price on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in a research report on Friday, February 13th. Evercore reaffirmed an “outperform” rating on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in a report on Friday, April 24th. Zacks Research lowered 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 company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Monday, April 27th. Finally, Citigroup restated a “buy” rating on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in a research report on Friday, April 24th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have given a Buy rating and four have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, West Pharmaceutical Services presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $322.89.

West Pharmaceutical Services Price Performance

West Pharmaceutical Services stock opened at $326.12 on Friday. West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. has a one year low of $202.79 and a one year high of $328.44. 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 business has a fifty day moving average of $261.47 and a two-hundred day moving average of $264.28. The company has a market cap of $23.04 billion, a P/E ratio of 43.60, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.72 and a beta of 1.17.

West Pharmaceutical Services (NYSE:WST) last released its earnings results on Thursday, April 23rd. The medical instruments supplier reported $2.13 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.68 by $0.45. West Pharmaceutical Services had a return on equity of 19.03% and a net margin of 16.85%.The company had revenue of $844.90 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $779.68 million. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $1.45 earnings per share. West Pharmaceutical Services’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. As a group, analysts predict that West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. will post 8.61 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

West Pharmaceutical Services announced that its board has initiated a stock buyback program 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 programs are often a sign that the company’s board of directors believes its stock is undervalued.

West Pharmaceutical Services Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, May 6th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, April 29th were paid a dividend of $0.22 per share. This represents a $0.88 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.3%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, April 29th. West Pharmaceutical Services’s payout ratio is 11.76%.

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.