Russell Investments Group Ltd. Sells 22,663 Shares of West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. $WST

Russell Investments Group Ltd. reduced its position in West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST) by 14.2% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 137,394 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after selling 22,663 shares during the period. Russell Investments Group Ltd.’s holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services were worth $36,029,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Schroder Investment Management Group boosted its holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services by 18.5% in the third quarter. Schroder Investment Management Group now owns 150,277 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $39,422,000 after acquiring an additional 23,474 shares during the last quarter. Private Advisor Group LLC acquired a new stake in West Pharmaceutical Services in the third quarter worth about $360,000. PFG Advisors raised its holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services by 1.5% during the 3rd quarter. PFG Advisors now owns 3,302 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $866,000 after purchasing an additional 50 shares during the last quarter. Jefferies Financial Group Inc. lifted its position in West Pharmaceutical Services by 4.0% during the 3rd quarter. Jefferies Financial Group Inc. now owns 38,745 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $10,164,000 after purchasing an additional 1,500 shares during the period. Finally, Parallel Advisors LLC lifted its position in West Pharmaceutical Services by 21.0% during the 3rd quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC now owns 398 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $104,000 after purchasing an additional 69 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 93.90% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts have recently commented on the stock. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of West Pharmaceutical Services from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Saturday, December 20th. UBS Group restated a “buy” rating and issued a $340.00 price objective on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in a report on Friday, February 13th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $315.00 target price on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in a report on Friday, February 13th. Jefferies Financial Group reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $295.00 target price on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in a research report on Tuesday, February 10th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c)” rating on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in a research note on Friday, January 9th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have issued a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company 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 $238.29 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.06, a current ratio of 3.02 and a quick ratio of 2.34. The stock has a market cap of $17.16 billion, a PE ratio of 35.09, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.51 and a beta of 1.17. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $251.55 and a 200-day moving average of $262.02. West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. has a one year low of $187.43 and a one year high of $322.34.

West Pharmaceutical Services (NYSE:WST) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 12th. The medical instruments supplier reported $2.04 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.83 by $0.21. The business had revenue of $805.00 million for 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%. West Pharmaceutical Services’s quarterly revenue was up 7.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $1.82 EPS. West Pharmaceutical Services has set its FY 2026 guidance at 7.850-8.200 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. will post 6.62 earnings per share for the current year.

West Pharmaceutical Services Dividend Announcement

The company 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 of this dividend is Wednesday, April 29th. West Pharmaceutical Services’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 12.96%.

West Pharmaceutical Services announced that its board has approved a share 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 buy up to 5.6% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase plans are generally an indication that the company’s leadership believes its shares are undervalued.

West Pharmaceutical Services Company 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.