Generation Investment Management LLP Decreases Holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. $WST

Generation Investment Management LLP decreased its position in West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST) by 16.3% in the third quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 976,014 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after selling 189,763 shares during the quarter. West Pharmaceutical Services accounts for 1.7% of Generation Investment Management LLP’s portfolio, making the stock its 19th largest position. Generation Investment Management LLP’s holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services were worth $256,038,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Empowered Funds LLC lifted its holdings in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 16.1% in the 1st quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 1,611 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $361,000 after acquiring an additional 224 shares during the last quarter. Intech Investment Management LLC raised its position in West Pharmaceutical Services by 27.7% in the 1st quarter. Intech Investment Management LLC now owns 6,020 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $1,348,000 after purchasing an additional 1,307 shares during the period. Acadian Asset Management LLC lifted its stake in West Pharmaceutical Services by 14.1% in the first quarter. Acadian Asset Management LLC now owns 1,271 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $284,000 after purchasing an additional 157 shares during the last quarter. Ethic Inc. lifted its stake in West Pharmaceutical Services by 7.0% in the second quarter. Ethic Inc. now owns 2,103 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $460,000 after purchasing an additional 137 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. boosted its position in West Pharmaceutical Services by 7.5% during the second quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. now owns 191,643 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $41,931,000 after buying an additional 13,446 shares during the period. 93.90% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

West Pharmaceutical Services Price Performance

WST opened at $244.00 on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.06, a quick ratio of 2.34 and a current ratio of 3.02. The stock has a market capitalization of $17.57 billion, a PE ratio of 35.94, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.55 and a beta of 1.18. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $258.07 and its 200-day moving average price is $261.95. West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. has a 52-week low of $187.43 and a 52-week high of $322.34.

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

West Pharmaceutical Services announced that its board has authorized a stock buyback 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 repurchase up to 5.6% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback plans are generally an indication that the company’s board believes its stock is undervalued.

West Pharmaceutical Services Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, May 6th. Investors of record on Wednesday, April 29th will be given a dividend of $0.22 per share. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, April 29th. This represents a $0.88 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.4%. West Pharmaceutical Services’s payout ratio is currently 12.96%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms have recently commented on WST. Wall Street Zen upgraded West Pharmaceutical Services from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Saturday, December 20th. UBS Group reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $340.00 price target on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in a research note on Friday, February 13th. Evercore dropped their price objective on West Pharmaceutical Services from $390.00 to $320.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, February 3rd. TD Cowen initiated coverage on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in a report on Wednesday, October 29th. They issued a “buy” rating on the stock. Finally, Barclays lowered their price target on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services from $325.00 to $265.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Friday, February 13th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have issued a Buy rating and three have assigned a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $314.56.

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.