JPMorgan Chase & Co. Increases Stock Position in West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. $WST

JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted its position in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST) by 7.7% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 236,963 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after purchasing an additional 16,919 shares during the period. JPMorgan Chase & Co.’s holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services were worth $62,163,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. CYBER HORNET ETFs LLC acquired a new stake in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services during the second quarter valued at about $25,000. Vermillion & White Wealth Management Group LLC boosted its holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services by 193.9% in the second quarter. Vermillion & White Wealth Management Group LLC now owns 144 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $32,000 after purchasing an additional 95 shares during the last quarter. SJS Investment Consulting Inc. boosted its holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services by 1,842.9% in the third quarter. SJS Investment Consulting Inc. now owns 136 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $36,000 after purchasing an additional 129 shares during the last quarter. Pilgrim Partners Asia Pte Ltd acquired a new stake in West Pharmaceutical Services during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $47,000. Finally, MUFG Securities EMEA plc purchased a new stake in West Pharmaceutical Services during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $47,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 93.90% of the company’s stock.

West Pharmaceutical Services Stock Up 0.5%

Shares of NYSE:WST opened at $245.47 on Wednesday. The company’s fifty day moving average is $257.65 and its two-hundred day moving average is $261.98. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.06, a quick ratio of 2.34 and a current ratio of 3.02. West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. has a 1-year low of $187.43 and a 1-year high of $322.34. The stock has a market capitalization of $17.68 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 36.15, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.58 and a beta of 1.18.

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, beating the consensus estimate of $1.83 by $0.21. The business had revenue of $805.00 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $795.70 million. West Pharmaceutical Services had a net margin of 16.06% and a return on equity of 17.90%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 7.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $1.82 EPS. West Pharmaceutical Services has set its FY 2026 guidance at 7.850-8.200 EPS. Equities analysts anticipate that West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. will post 6.62 EPS for the current year.

West Pharmaceutical Services announced that its Board of Directors has authorized a stock buyback program on Tuesday, February 17th that authorizes the company to repurchase $1.00 billion in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization authorizes the medical instruments supplier to repurchase up to 5.6% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase programs are usually a sign that the company’s board of directors believes its shares are undervalued.

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. This represents a $0.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.4%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, April 29th. West Pharmaceutical Services’s dividend payout ratio is presently 12.96%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

WST has been the subject of several research analyst reports. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $315.00 target price on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in a research note on Friday, February 13th. Morgan Stanley began coverage on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in a research note on Monday, December 1st. They set an “equal weight” rating and a $285.00 price objective on the stock. 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. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of West Pharmaceutical Services from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Saturday, December 20th. Finally, Evercore decreased their price target on West Pharmaceutical Services from $390.00 to $320.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, February 3rd. Three 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, West Pharmaceutical Services has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average price target 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.