ING Groep NV Sells 17,581 Shares of West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. $WST

ING Groep NV reduced its holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST) by 54.2% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 14,853 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after selling 17,581 shares during the quarter. ING Groep NV’s holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services were worth $4,087,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in WST. Elyxium Wealth LLC bought a new stake in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in the 4th quarter worth approximately $25,000. CYBER HORNET ETFs LLC purchased a new position in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Private Trust Co. NA lifted its stake in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 156.4% in the 4th quarter. Private Trust Co. NA now owns 100 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $28,000 after purchasing an additional 61 shares during the period. International Assets Investment Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Finally, Torren Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $34,000. 93.90% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other West Pharmaceutical Services news, VP Annette F. Favorite sold 2,817 shares of West Pharmaceutical Services stock in a transaction 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 completion of the transaction, the vice president owned 16,828 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,135,905.60. The trade was a 14.34% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, CAO Chad Winters sold 896 shares of West Pharmaceutical Services stock in a transaction on Monday, April 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $300.67, for a total value of $269,400.32. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer owned 1,523 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $457,920.41. The trade was a 37.04% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. 0.60% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

West Pharmaceutical Services Stock Up 1.7%

Shares of NYSE:WST opened at $319.98 on Tuesday. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $292.30 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $269.75. The stock has a market capitalization of $22.61 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 42.78, a PEG ratio of 2.63 and a beta of 1.18. West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. has a 12-month low of $206.80 and a 12-month high of $330.88. 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 (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 business had revenue of $844.90 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations 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 quarterly revenue was up 21.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $1.45 earnings per share. 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 8.6 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

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

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts have recently commented on WST shares. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft restated a “buy” rating and issued a $315.00 target price on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in a research note on Friday, February 13th. Morgan Stanley raised their target price on West Pharmaceutical Services from $315.00 to $325.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Friday, May 29th. Weiss Ratings upgraded West Pharmaceutical Services from a “hold (c-)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a research note on Monday, April 27th. Wolfe Research started coverage on West Pharmaceutical Services in a research note on Monday, June 1st. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $375.00 target price for the company. Finally, Stephens restated an “overweight” rating and issued a $360.00 target price on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in a research note on Tuesday, June 2nd. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have issued a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, West Pharmaceutical Services has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $331.91.

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.