Franklin Resources Inc. Sells 77,679 Shares of West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. $WST

Franklin Resources Inc. reduced its position in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST) by 8.0% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 888,252 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after selling 77,679 shares during the quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. owned 1.23% of West Pharmaceutical Services worth $244,394,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors have also made changes to their positions in WST. Norges Bank bought a new stake in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services during the 4th quarter valued at about $272,041,000. Artisan Partners Limited Partnership grew its stake in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 22.2% during the 3rd quarter. Artisan Partners Limited Partnership now owns 2,770,920 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $726,895,000 after purchasing an additional 503,601 shares during the period. Steadfast Capital Management LP bought a new stake in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services during the 3rd quarter valued at about $123,667,000. AQR Capital Management LLC grew its stake in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 420.1% during the 3rd quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 545,879 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $142,949,000 after purchasing an additional 440,929 shares during the period. Finally, Vanguard Group Inc. grew its stake in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 4.2% during the 3rd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 9,704,948 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $2,545,899,000 after purchasing an additional 388,144 shares during the period. 93.90% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

West Pharmaceutical Services Trading Up 4.7%

Shares of NYSE:WST opened at $334.84 on Wednesday. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $294.13 and a 200 day moving average of $270.28. The company has a market cap of $23.66 billion, a PE ratio of 44.76, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.68 and a beta of 1.18. 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 12-month low of $206.80 and a 12-month high of $336.82.

West Pharmaceutical Services (NYSE:WST) last announced its quarterly earnings data 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. The company had revenue of $844.90 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $779.68 million. West Pharmaceutical Services had a return on equity of 19.03% and a net margin of 16.85%.The firm’s revenue was up 21.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous 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 research analysts expect that West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. will post 8.6 EPS for the current year.

West Pharmaceutical Services declared that its board has approved a share buyback program on Tuesday, February 17th that allows the company to repurchase $1.00 billion in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization allows the medical instruments supplier to repurchase up to 5.6% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase programs are generally an indication that the company’s management believes its shares are undervalued.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CAO Chad Winters sold 896 shares of the business’s 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 completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer directly owned 1,523 shares in the company, valued at approximately $457,920.41. The trade was a 37.04% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, VP Annette F. Favorite sold 2,817 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, April 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $305.20, for a total value of $859,748.40. Following the transaction, the vice president 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. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders own 0.60% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts have issued reports on WST shares. Jefferies Financial Group restated a “buy” rating and set a $295.00 price target on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in a research note on Tuesday, February 10th. Zacks Research upgraded West Pharmaceutical Services from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 13th. Citigroup restated a “buy” rating on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in a research note on Friday, April 24th. Barclays upgraded West Pharmaceutical Services from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and boosted their price objective for the company from $310.00 to $400.00 in a research note on Tuesday. Finally, Evercore reiterated an “outperform” rating on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in a research note on Friday, April 24th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have issued a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $340.09.

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.