OFI Invest Asset Management Buys Shares of 72,558 West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. $WST

OFI Invest Asset Management bought a new stake in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST) in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund bought 72,558 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock, valued at approximately $19,964,000.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of WST. Empowered Funds LLC raised its position in West Pharmaceutical Services by 16.1% during the 1st quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 1,611 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $361,000 after purchasing an additional 224 shares in the last quarter. Intech Investment Management LLC raised its position in West Pharmaceutical Services by 27.7% during the 1st quarter. Intech Investment Management LLC now owns 6,020 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $1,348,000 after purchasing an additional 1,307 shares in the last quarter. Acadian Asset Management LLC raised its position in West Pharmaceutical Services by 14.1% during the 1st quarter. Acadian Asset Management LLC now owns 1,271 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $284,000 after purchasing an additional 157 shares in the last quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC raised its position in West Pharmaceutical Services by 78.2% during the 2nd quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 449 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $98,000 after purchasing an additional 197 shares in the last quarter. Finally, First Trust Advisors LP raised its position in West Pharmaceutical Services by 168.4% during the 2nd quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 46,332 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $10,137,000 after purchasing an additional 29,067 shares in the last quarter. 93.90% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

West Pharmaceutical Services Trading Up 2.6%

Shares of NYSE:WST opened at $266.14 on Thursday. West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. has a 12-month low of $187.43 and a 12-month high of $322.34. The business’s fifty day simple moving average is $244.85 and its 200-day simple moving average is $261.34. The company has a market capitalization of $19.18 billion, a PE ratio of 39.20, a P/E/G ratio of 2.71 and a beta of 1.15. The company has a current ratio of 3.02, a quick ratio of 2.34 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.06.

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

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

West Pharmaceutical Services Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, May 6th. Investors of record on Wednesday, April 29th will be paid a dividend of $0.22 per share. This represents a $0.88 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.3%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, April 29th. West Pharmaceutical Services’s payout ratio is 12.96%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

WST has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. UBS Group reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $340.00 target price on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in a research report on Friday, February 13th. Barclays cut their price target on West Pharmaceutical Services from $325.00 to $265.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, February 13th. Jefferies Financial Group reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $295.00 price target on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in a report on Tuesday, February 10th. Zacks Research upgraded West Pharmaceutical Services from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 21st. Finally, Wall Street Zen upgraded West Pharmaceutical Services from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a 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 stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $314.56.

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.