1,600 Shares in West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. $WST Acquired by Sound Financial Strategies Group LLC

Sound Financial Strategies Group LLC bought a new position in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST) in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm bought 1,600 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock, valued at approximately $440,000.

Other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Private Trust Co. NA grew its stake in West Pharmaceutical Services by 156.4% during the fourth quarter. Private Trust Co. NA now owns 100 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $28,000 after purchasing an additional 61 shares during the period. International Assets Investment Management LLC acquired a new stake in West Pharmaceutical Services during the fourth quarter worth approximately $31,000. CYBER HORNET ETFs LLC acquired a new stake in West Pharmaceutical Services during the second quarter worth approximately $25,000. Torren Management LLC acquired a new stake in West Pharmaceutical Services during the fourth quarter worth approximately $34,000. Finally, Pilgrim Partners Asia Pte Ltd acquired a new stake in West Pharmaceutical Services during the third quarter worth approximately $47,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 93.90% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, CAO Chad Winters sold 896 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, April 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $300.67, for a total value of $269,400.32. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer owned 1,523 shares in the company, valued at $457,920.41. This trade represents a 37.04% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, VP Annette F. Favorite sold 2,817 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, April 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $305.20, for a total value of $859,748.40. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president owned 16,828 shares in the company, valued at $5,135,905.60. This represents a 14.34% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. 0.60% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

West Pharmaceutical Services Stock Up 1.3%

Shares of NYSE:WST opened at $326.12 on Friday. The business’s 50 day simple moving average is $261.47 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $264.28. The firm has a market cap of $23.04 billion, a P/E ratio of 43.60, a PEG ratio of 2.69 and a beta of 1.17. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.07, a quick ratio of 2.04 and a current ratio of 2.71. West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. has a 52-week low of $202.79 and a 52-week high of $328.44.

West Pharmaceutical Services (NYSE:WST) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, April 23rd. The medical instruments supplier reported $2.13 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.68 by $0.45. West Pharmaceutical Services had a return on equity of 19.03% and a net margin of 16.85%.The company had revenue of $844.90 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $779.68 million. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $1.45 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 21.0% on a year-over-year basis. West Pharmaceutical Services has set its FY 2026 guidance at 8.400-8.750 EPS and its Q2 2026 guidance at 2.050-2.120 EPS. As a group, research analysts forecast that West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. will post 8.61 EPS for the current fiscal year.

West Pharmaceutical Services declared that its board has authorized a share buyback plan 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 reacquire up to 5.6% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase plans are usually a sign that the company’s leadership believes its shares are undervalued.

West Pharmaceutical Services Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, May 6th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, April 29th were issued a $0.22 dividend. This represents a $0.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.3%. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, April 29th. West Pharmaceutical Services’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 11.76%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms recently commented on WST. Zacks Research cut West Pharmaceutical Services from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 14th. Evercore reiterated an “outperform” rating on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in a report on Friday, April 24th. Citigroup reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in a report on Friday, April 24th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $315.00 price target on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in a report on Friday, February 13th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $295.00 price target on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in a report on Tuesday, February 10th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have given a Buy rating and four have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, West Pharmaceutical Services presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $322.89.

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.