Tidal Investments LLC Buys 11,205 Shares of West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. $WST

Tidal Investments LLC increased its stake in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST) by 52.5% during the second quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The fund owned 32,535 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after buying an additional 11,205 shares during the period. Tidal Investments LLC’s holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services were worth $11,680,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in WST. Greenleaf Trust increased its holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services by 4.1% during the 2nd quarter. Greenleaf Trust now owns 843 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $303,000 after purchasing an additional 33 shares in the last quarter. Wealth Alliance LLC raised its stake in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 3.8% in the 1st quarter. Wealth Alliance LLC now owns 945 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $237,000 after purchasing an additional 35 shares during the period. IFM Investors Pty Ltd lifted its holdings in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 0.3% in the first quarter. IFM Investors Pty Ltd now owns 13,773 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $3,452,000 after purchasing an additional 43 shares in the last quarter. Compound Planning Inc. boosted its position in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 3.6% during the first quarter. Compound Planning Inc. now owns 1,224 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $307,000 after buying an additional 43 shares during the period. Finally, Aptus Capital Advisors LLC boosted its position in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 5.5% during the fourth quarter. Aptus Capital Advisors LLC now owns 905 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $249,000 after buying an additional 47 shares during the period. 93.90% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity at West Pharmaceutical Services

In other news, VP Annette Favorite sold 8,135 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, September 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $340.81, for a total transaction of $2,772,489.35. Following the transaction, the vice president directly owned 16,845 shares in the company, valued at $5,740,944.45. The trade was a 32.57% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. 0.60% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

West Pharmaceutical Services Trading Up 0.4%

Shares of West Pharmaceutical Services stock opened at $345.49 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $24.31 billion, a P/E ratio of 44.24, a P/E/G ratio of 2.41 and a beta of 1.14. The company has a quick ratio of 2.12, a current ratio of 2.82 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.07. West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. has a 12-month low of $223.83 and a 12-month high of $386.00. The business’s 50 day moving average is $348.46 and its 200-day moving average is $310.28.

West Pharmaceutical Services (NYSE:WST) last released its earnings results on Thursday, July 23rd. The medical instruments supplier reported $2.37 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.08 by $0.29. The business had revenue of $872.30 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $839.98 million. West Pharmaceutical Services had a net margin of 16.98% and a return on equity of 20.11%. The firm’s revenue was up 13.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the business earned $1.84 earnings per share. West Pharmaceutical Services has set its Q3 2026 guidance at 2.140-2.240 EPS and its FY 2026 guidance at 8.850-9.050 EPS. Equities research analysts predict that West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. will post 8.93 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

West Pharmaceutical Services Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, August 5th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, July 29th were given a $0.22 dividend. This represents a $0.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.3%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, July 29th. West Pharmaceutical Services’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 11.27%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

WST has been the subject of a number of research reports. Stephens reiterated an “overweight” rating and set a $360.00 price objective on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in a report on Tuesday, June 2nd. Morgan Stanley boosted their target price on West Pharmaceutical Services from $325.00 to $365.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Thursday, July 9th. UBS Group upped their price target on West Pharmaceutical Services from $340.00 to $415.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday. Evercore reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $425.00 price target on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in a research note on Monday, July 27th. Finally, Barclays upgraded shares of West Pharmaceutical Services from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and lifted their price objective for the company from $310.00 to $400.00 in a report on Tuesday, June 9th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have issued a Buy rating and three have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $373.85.

West Pharmaceutical Services Company Profile

West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc (NYSE: WST) develops and manufactures components and systems used to package, contain and deliver injectable medicines and other healthcare products. Its customers include pharmaceutical, biotechnology and medical device companies, which use West products in drug administration and medical applications.

The company’s offerings include elastomer components such as stoppers, plungers and seals; syringe and cartridge components; vial and container closure systems; and specialized delivery systems for injectable and other complex medicines.