Intech Investment Management LLC Buys 3,350 Shares of West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. $WST

Intech Investment Management LLC raised its stake in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST) by 79.9% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 7,543 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after buying an additional 3,350 shares during the period. Intech Investment Management LLC’s holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services were worth $1,979,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of WST. CYBER HORNET ETFs LLC purchased a new stake in West Pharmaceutical Services during the second quarter valued at $25,000. SJS Investment Consulting Inc. increased its position in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 1,842.9% during the 3rd 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. Vermillion & White Wealth Management Group LLC increased its position in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 193.9% during the 2nd 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. Pilgrim Partners Asia Pte Ltd bought a new position in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $47,000. Finally, MUFG Securities EMEA plc purchased a new position in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in the second quarter worth approximately $47,000. 93.90% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

WST has been the topic of several recent research reports. Barclays decreased their price target on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services from $325.00 to $265.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, February 13th. Morgan Stanley began coverage on West Pharmaceutical Services in a report on Monday, December 1st. They issued an “equal weight” rating and a $285.00 target price on the stock. Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c)” rating on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in a report on Friday, January 9th. UBS Group restated a “buy” rating and issued a $340.00 price target on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in a research report on Friday, February 13th. Finally, Wall Street Zen raised West Pharmaceutical Services from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Saturday, December 20th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have assigned a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $314.56.

West Pharmaceutical Services Trading Down 0.8%

Shares of West Pharmaceutical Services stock opened at $249.42 on Thursday. West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. has a twelve month low of $187.43 and a twelve month high of $322.34. The company has a quick ratio of 2.34, a current ratio of 3.02 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.06. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $254.94 and a 200-day moving average price of $262.14. The firm has a market cap of $17.96 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 36.73, a PEG ratio of 2.66 and a beta of 1.17.

West Pharmaceutical Services (NYSE:WST) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 12th. The medical instruments supplier reported $2.04 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate 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 business had revenue of $805.00 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $795.70 million. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $1.82 EPS. The company’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. Equities research analysts anticipate that West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. will post 6.62 EPS for the current fiscal year.

West Pharmaceutical Services Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, May 6th. Investors of record on Wednesday, April 29th will be paid a dividend of $0.22 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, April 29th. This represents a $0.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.4%. West Pharmaceutical Services’s payout ratio is currently 12.96%.

West Pharmaceutical Services declared that its board has initiated a share buyback plan on Tuesday, February 17th that allows the company to buyback $1.00 billion in shares. This buyback authorization allows the medical instruments supplier to buy up to 5.6% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback plans are generally an indication that the company’s leadership 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.