Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd. Sells 7,219 Shares of West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. $WST

Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd. cut its holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST) by 4.5% in the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm owned 154,502 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after selling 7,219 shares during the period. Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd.’s holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services were worth $42,510,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in WST. Norges Bank purchased a new position in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in the fourth quarter worth about $272,041,000. Artisan Partners Limited Partnership increased its holdings in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 22.2% in the third quarter. Artisan Partners Limited Partnership now owns 2,770,920 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $726,895,000 after buying an additional 503,601 shares during the period. Steadfast Capital Management LP purchased a new position in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in the third quarter worth about $123,667,000. AQR Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 420.1% in the third quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 545,879 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $142,949,000 after buying an additional 440,929 shares during the period. Finally, Vanguard Group Inc. increased its holdings in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 4.2% in the third quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 9,704,948 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $2,545,899,000 after buying an additional 388,144 shares during the period. 93.90% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insider Activity

In related news, CAO Chad Winters sold 896 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, April 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $300.67, for a total transaction of $269,400.32. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer owned 1,523 shares in the company, valued at $457,920.41. The trade was a 37.04% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, VP Annette F. Favorite sold 2,817 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, April 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $305.20, for a total transaction of $859,748.40. Following the transaction, the vice president owned 16,828 shares in the company, valued at $5,135,905.60. This represents a 14.34% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. 0.60% of the stock is owned by insiders.

West Pharmaceutical Services Price Performance

WST stock opened at $322.81 on Monday. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $283.57 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $267.67. West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. has a 12-month low of $206.10 and a 12-month high of $330.88. The stock has a market capitalization of $22.81 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 43.16, a PEG ratio of 2.70 and a beta of 1.18. 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 results on Thursday, April 23rd. The medical instruments supplier reported $2.13 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.68 by $0.45. West Pharmaceutical Services had a net margin of 16.85% and a return on equity of 19.03%. The company had revenue of $844.90 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $779.68 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $1.45 earnings per share. West Pharmaceutical Services’s quarterly revenue was up 21.0% on a year-over-year basis. 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. As a group, equities analysts predict that West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. will post 8.6 earnings per share for the current year.

West Pharmaceutical Services declared that its Board of Directors has initiated a stock repurchase plan on Tuesday, February 17th that authorizes the company to buyback $1.00 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the medical instruments supplier to reacquire up to 5.6% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback plans are typically a sign that the company’s board of directors believes its shares are undervalued.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms have recently commented on WST. Barclays lifted their price objective on West Pharmaceutical Services from $275.00 to $310.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Monday, April 27th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $315.00 price objective on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in a report on Friday, February 13th. Jefferies Financial Group reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $295.00 price objective on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in a report on Tuesday, February 10th. Citigroup restated a “buy” rating on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in a research report on Friday, April 24th. Finally, Zacks Research upgraded shares of West Pharmaceutical Services from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 13th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have assigned 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 $324.00.

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.