West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. $WST is Seilern Investment Management Ltd’s 7th Largest Position

Seilern Investment Management Ltd lowered its holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST) by 14.9% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 278,229 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after selling 48,728 shares during the quarter. West Pharmaceutical Services accounts for about 5.9% of Seilern Investment Management Ltd’s holdings, making the stock its 7th biggest position. Seilern Investment Management Ltd’s holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services were worth $76,552,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Rockland Trust Co. lifted its stake in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 6.5% in the third quarter. Rockland Trust Co. now owns 83,066 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $21,791,000 after purchasing an additional 5,087 shares during the period. Holocene Advisors LP acquired a new position in West Pharmaceutical Services during the third quarter worth about $49,085,000. Cibc World Market Inc. grew its position in West Pharmaceutical Services by 300.0% during the third quarter. Cibc World Market Inc. now owns 18,586 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $4,876,000 after buying an additional 13,940 shares during the period. Truist Financial Corp increased its holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services by 73.7% in the third quarter. Truist Financial Corp now owns 29,107 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $7,636,000 after buying an additional 12,348 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Asset Management One Co. Ltd. lifted its position in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 16.7% during the 3rd quarter. Asset Management One Co. Ltd. now owns 69,775 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $18,304,000 after acquiring an additional 10,009 shares during the period. 93.90% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages have recently commented on WST. Morgan Stanley began coverage on West Pharmaceutical Services in a research note on Monday, December 1st. They set an “equal weight” rating and a $285.00 price target on the stock. UBS Group reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $340.00 price objective on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in a research note on Friday, February 13th. Wall Street Zen raised West Pharmaceutical Services from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Saturday, December 20th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $315.00 target price on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in a research report on Friday, February 13th. Finally, Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in a research report on Friday, January 9th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have given a Buy rating and three have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $314.56.

West Pharmaceutical Services Stock Up 2.0%

WST stock opened at $241.67 on Tuesday. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $245.42 and its 200-day simple moving average is $261.67. The firm has a market capitalization of $17.42 billion, a PE ratio of 35.59, a P/E/G ratio of 2.52 and a beta of 1.17. West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. has a 12 month low of $187.43 and a 12 month high of $322.34. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.06, a current ratio of 3.02 and a quick ratio of 2.34.

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 for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.83 by $0.21. West Pharmaceutical Services had a net margin of 16.06% and a return on equity of 17.90%. The business had revenue of $805.00 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $795.70 million. During the same period last year, the company posted $1.82 EPS. The company’s revenue 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 analysts expect that West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. will post 6.62 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

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 issued a $0.22 dividend. 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 payout ratio is 12.96%.

West Pharmaceutical Services announced that its board has approved a share repurchase program on Tuesday, February 17th that authorizes the company to buyback $1.00 billion in shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the medical instruments supplier to buy up to 5.6% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are generally an indication that the company’s management believes its stock is 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.