HighTower Advisors LLC Has $1.72 Million Holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. $WST

HighTower Advisors LLC trimmed its position in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST) by 25.5% during the third quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 6,569 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after selling 2,249 shares during the quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC’s holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services were worth $1,724,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors also recently modified their holdings of WST. CYBER HORNET ETFs LLC bought a new stake in West Pharmaceutical Services during the 2nd quarter valued at $25,000. SJS Investment Consulting Inc. grew its holdings in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 1,842.9% during the third quarter. SJS Investment Consulting Inc. now owns 136 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $36,000 after buying an additional 129 shares during the last quarter. Vermillion & White Wealth Management Group LLC increased its position in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 193.9% during the second quarter. Vermillion & White Wealth Management Group LLC now owns 144 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $32,000 after acquiring an additional 95 shares in the last quarter. Pilgrim Partners Asia Pte Ltd acquired a new stake in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in the 3rd quarter worth about $47,000. Finally, MUFG Securities EMEA plc acquired a new stake in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in the 2nd quarter worth about $47,000. 93.90% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have commented on the company. Jefferies Financial Group reissued a “buy” rating and set a $295.00 price objective on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in a report on Tuesday, February 10th. 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. Zacks Research raised West Pharmaceutical Services from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 21st. Barclays cut their price objective on shares of 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. Finally, Morgan Stanley began coverage on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in a report on Monday, December 1st. They issued an “equal weight” rating and a $285.00 target price for the company. Three equities research 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’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $314.56.

West Pharmaceutical Services Stock Performance

Shares of WST stock opened at $254.10 on Friday. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $256.49 and its 200 day moving average is $262.05. The stock has a market capitalization of $18.30 billion, a P/E ratio of 37.42, a PEG ratio of 2.69 and a beta of 1.18. West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. has a 12 month low of $187.43 and a 12 month high of $322.34. 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 posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 12th. The medical instruments supplier reported $2.04 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates 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 during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $795.70 million. During the same period last year, the company earned $1.82 earnings per share. The business’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. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. will post 6.62 earnings per share for the current year.

West Pharmaceutical Services Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared 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 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.3%. West Pharmaceutical Services’s dividend payout ratio is currently 12.96%.

West Pharmaceutical Services declared that its Board of Directors has approved a stock buyback plan on Tuesday, February 17th that permits the company to repurchase $1.00 billion in shares. This repurchase authorization permits the medical instruments supplier to repurchase up to 5.6% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase plans are often an indication that the company’s board of directors believes its shares are undervalued.

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.