Sterling Capital Management LLC Has $4.15 Million Stock Holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. $WST

Sterling Capital Management LLC decreased its position in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST) by 10.7% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 16,564 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after selling 1,984 shares during the period. Sterling Capital Management LLC’s holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services were worth $4,152,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of WST. Darwin Wealth Management LLC raised its stake in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 10.8% during the 4th quarter. Darwin Wealth Management LLC now owns 410 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $113,000 after purchasing an additional 40 shares in the last quarter. Aptus Capital Advisors LLC increased its holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services by 5.5% in 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 last quarter. Faithward Advisors LLC increased its holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services by 0.4% in the third quarter. Faithward Advisors LLC now owns 11,855 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $3,110,000 after buying an additional 48 shares during the last quarter. IFM Investors Pty Ltd raised its position in West Pharmaceutical Services by 0.4% during the fourth quarter. IFM Investors Pty Ltd now owns 13,730 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $3,778,000 after acquiring an additional 49 shares in the last quarter. Finally, PFG Advisors raised its position in West Pharmaceutical Services by 1.5% during the third quarter. PFG Advisors now owns 3,302 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $866,000 after acquiring an additional 50 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 93.90% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at West Pharmaceutical Services

In other West Pharmaceutical Services news, VP Annette F. Favorite sold 2,817 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, April 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $305.20, for a total transaction of $859,748.40. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president owned 16,828 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $5,135,905.60. The trade was a 14.34% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, CAO Chad Winters sold 896 shares of the company’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 sale, the chief accounting officer owned 1,523 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $457,920.41. This trade represents a 37.04% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Company insiders own 0.60% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

WST has been the subject of several recent research reports. Stephens reissued an “overweight” rating and issued a $360.00 target price on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in a research report on Tuesday, June 2nd. Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of West Pharmaceutical Services from a “hold (c-)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a report on Monday, April 27th. Morgan Stanley lifted their price objective 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. Wolfe Research started coverage on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in a report on Monday, June 1st. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $375.00 price objective for the company. Finally, Zacks Research upgraded West Pharmaceutical Services from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, May 13th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have given a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, West Pharmaceutical Services has an average rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $340.09.

West Pharmaceutical Services Trading Up 1.3%

Shares of WST stock opened at $351.07 on Friday. West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. has a 12 month low of $206.80 and a 12 month high of $352.31. The company has a quick ratio of 2.04, a current ratio of 2.71 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.07. The business’s 50 day moving average is $313.84 and its two-hundred day moving average is $275.59. The company has a market cap of $24.80 billion, a PE ratio of 46.93, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.94 and a beta of 1.18.

West Pharmaceutical Services (NYSE:WST) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 23rd. The medical instruments supplier reported $2.13 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.68 by $0.45. The company had revenue of $844.90 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $779.67 million. West Pharmaceutical Services had a net margin of 16.85% and a return on equity of 19.03%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 21.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $1.45 earnings per share. 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. Equities analysts predict that West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. will post 8.6 EPS for the current year.

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.