West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. $WST Shares Sold by Motley Fool Wealth Management LLC

Motley Fool Wealth Management LLC reduced its stake in West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST) by 21.9% in the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The fund owned 19,477 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after selling 5,468 shares during the quarter. Motley Fool Wealth Management LLC’s holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services were worth $5,359,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Focus Partners Advisor Solutions LLC lifted its stake in West Pharmaceutical Services by 112.2% during the fourth quarter. Focus Partners Advisor Solutions LLC now owns 1,621 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $446,000 after purchasing an additional 857 shares during the last quarter. Westerkirk Capital Inc. lifted its stake in West Pharmaceutical Services by 12.6% during the fourth quarter. Westerkirk Capital Inc. now owns 895 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $246,000 after purchasing an additional 100 shares during the last quarter. Gordian Capital Singapore Pte Ltd acquired a new stake in West Pharmaceutical Services during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $344,000. Waddell & Associates LLC lifted its stake in West Pharmaceutical Services by 3.2% during the fourth quarter. Waddell & Associates LLC now owns 3,622 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $997,000 after purchasing an additional 112 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Cerity Partners LLC lifted its stake in West Pharmaceutical Services by 20.9% during the fourth quarter. Cerity Partners LLC now owns 17,285 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $4,756,000 after purchasing an additional 2,993 shares during the last quarter. 93.90% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other West Pharmaceutical Services news, CAO Chad Winters sold 896 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred 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 completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer owned 1,523 shares in the company, valued at $457,920.41. This represents a 37.04% decrease in their position. The transaction 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 stock in a transaction that occurred 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 sale, the vice president owned 16,828 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,135,905.60. The trade was a 14.34% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. 0.60% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

WST has been the subject of several recent research reports. UBS Group reissued a “buy” rating and set a $340.00 target price on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in a research note on Friday, February 13th. Morgan Stanley increased their target price on shares of 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. Stephens reissued an “overweight” rating and set a $360.00 target price on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in a research note on Tuesday, June 2nd. Zacks Research raised shares of West Pharmaceutical Services from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 13th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group reissued a “buy” rating and set a $295.00 target price on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in a research note on Tuesday, February 10th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have given a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, West Pharmaceutical Services presently has an average rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $340.09.

West Pharmaceutical Services Stock Up 4.7%

Shares of NYSE:WST opened at $334.84 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.07, a quick ratio of 2.04 and a current ratio of 2.71. The company has a market cap of $23.66 billion, a PE ratio of 44.76, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.68 and a beta of 1.18. West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. has a 52 week low of $206.80 and a 52 week high of $336.82. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $294.13 and a 200 day simple moving average of $270.28.

West Pharmaceutical Services (NYSE:WST) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 23rd. The medical instruments supplier reported $2.13 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.68 by $0.45. The business had revenue of $844.90 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $779.68 million. West Pharmaceutical Services had a net margin of 16.85% and a return on equity of 19.03%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 21.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $1.45 EPS. 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, research analysts expect 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 approved 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 reacquire up to 5.6% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are generally an indication that the company’s leadership believes its stock is undervalued.

About West Pharmaceutical Services

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.