West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. $WST Shares Purchased by JPMorgan Chase & Co.

JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted its position in West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST) by 7.7% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 236,963 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after buying an additional 16,919 shares during the period. JPMorgan Chase & Co. owned approximately 0.33% of West Pharmaceutical Services worth $62,163,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of WST. CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC boosted its holdings in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 2.2% in the 3rd quarter. CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC now owns 6,835 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $1,793,000 after acquiring an additional 150 shares during the last quarter. CIBC Bancorp USA Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in the third quarter worth $2,602,000. Caerus Investment Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services during the third quarter worth $256,000. Faithward Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 0.4% during the third quarter. Faithward Advisors LLC now owns 11,855 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $3,110,000 after purchasing an additional 48 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Captrust Financial Advisors lifted its position in West Pharmaceutical Services by 40.7% during the third quarter. Captrust Financial Advisors now owns 6,865 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $1,801,000 after purchasing an additional 1,985 shares during the period. 93.90% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

West Pharmaceutical Services Stock Up 0.8%

WST opened at $240.82 on Friday. The company has a fifty day moving average of $246.80 and a two-hundred day moving average of $261.57. The stock has a market capitalization of $17.36 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 35.47, a PEG ratio of 2.54 and a beta of 1.17. West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $187.43 and a fifty-two week high of $322.34. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.06, a quick ratio of 2.34 and a current ratio of 3.02.

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

West Pharmaceutical Services Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, May 6th. Stockholders 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 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.4%. West Pharmaceutical Services’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 12.96%.

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

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms have commented on WST. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $315.00 price target on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in a report on Friday, February 13th. Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c)” rating on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in a report on Friday, January 9th. Morgan Stanley began coverage on West Pharmaceutical Services in a research note on Monday, December 1st. They issued an “equal weight” rating and a $285.00 target price on the stock. Jefferies Financial Group reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $295.00 target price on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in a report on Tuesday, February 10th. Finally, Wall Street Zen upgraded West Pharmaceutical Services from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Saturday, December 20th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have issued a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target 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.