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

Seilern Investment Management Ltd cut its holdings in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST) by 14.9% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 278,229 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after selling 48,728 shares during the period. 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 owned approximately 0.39% of West Pharmaceutical Services worth $76,552,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its position in West Pharmaceutical Services by 4.2% in the 3rd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 9,704,948 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $2,545,899,000 after purchasing an additional 388,144 shares during the last quarter. State Street Corp grew its position in West Pharmaceutical Services by 2.1% during the 2nd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 3,271,866 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $715,884,000 after purchasing an additional 68,330 shares during the last quarter. Artisan Partners Limited Partnership grew its position in West Pharmaceutical Services by 22.2% during the 3rd quarter. Artisan Partners Limited Partnership now owns 2,770,920 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $726,895,000 after purchasing an additional 503,601 shares during the last quarter. Durable Capital Partners LP increased its stake in West Pharmaceutical Services by 12.7% in the third quarter. Durable Capital Partners LP now owns 1,172,583 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $307,604,000 after purchasing an additional 131,935 shares during the period. Finally, Invesco Ltd. increased its stake in West Pharmaceutical Services by 1.1% in the second quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 959,525 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $209,944,000 after purchasing an additional 10,070 shares during the period. 93.90% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

West Pharmaceutical Services Stock Up 2.0%

WST stock opened at $241.67 on Tuesday. The stock has a market capitalization of $17.42 billion, a PE ratio of 35.59, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.52 and a beta of 1.17. The company has a fifty day moving average of $245.42 and a 200-day moving average of $261.67. 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 one year low of $187.43 and a one year high of $322.34.

West Pharmaceutical Services (NYSE:WST) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 12th. The medical instruments supplier reported $2.04 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates 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%. The business’s revenue was up 7.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $1.82 earnings per share. West Pharmaceutical Services has set its FY 2026 guidance at 7.850-8.200 EPS. As a group, analysts expect that West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. will post 6.62 EPS for the current year.

West Pharmaceutical Services announced that its board has authorized a share buyback plan on Tuesday, February 17th that allows the company to repurchase $1.00 billion in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization allows the medical instruments supplier to repurchase up to 5.6% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase plans are usually an indication that the company’s board of directors believes its shares are undervalued.

West Pharmaceutical Services Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, May 6th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, April 29th will be given a dividend of $0.22 per share. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, April 29th. This represents a $0.88 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.4%. West Pharmaceutical Services’s payout ratio is presently 12.96%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts have recently weighed in on WST shares. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in a research note on Friday, January 9th. Barclays dropped their price target on 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 assumed coverage on West Pharmaceutical Services in a research note on Monday, December 1st. They set an “equal weight” rating and a $285.00 price objective for the company. Jefferies Financial Group reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $295.00 price objective on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in a research report on Tuesday, February 10th. Finally, Zacks Research raised West Pharmaceutical Services from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 21st. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have issued a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, West Pharmaceutical Services presently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $314.56.

About West Pharmaceutical Services

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.