Goldman Sachs Group Inc. Purchases 21,932 Shares of West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. $WST

Goldman Sachs Group Inc. increased its position in West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST) by 5.2% in the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund owned 440,009 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after acquiring an additional 21,932 shares during the quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc.’s holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services were worth $121,064,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Elyxium Wealth LLC bought a new stake in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in the fourth quarter worth $25,000. CYBER HORNET ETFs LLC bought a new stake in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in the second quarter worth $25,000. Private Trust Co. NA grew its holdings in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 156.4% in the fourth quarter. Private Trust Co. NA now owns 100 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $28,000 after acquiring an additional 61 shares during the period. International Assets Investment Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in the fourth quarter worth $31,000. Finally, Torren Management LLC bought a new stake in West Pharmaceutical Services during the fourth quarter valued at about $34,000. Institutional investors own 93.90% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

WST has been the subject of several recent research reports. Weiss Ratings raised West Pharmaceutical Services from a “hold (c-)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a report on Monday, April 27th. Zacks Research raised West Pharmaceutical Services from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, May 13th. Morgan Stanley boosted their price target on West Pharmaceutical Services from $315.00 to $325.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Friday, May 29th. Citigroup reissued a “buy” rating on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in a report on Friday, April 24th. Finally, UBS Group reissued a “buy” rating and set a $340.00 price target on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in a report on Friday, February 13th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have issued a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $331.91.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CAO Chad Winters sold 896 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, April 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $300.67, for a total transaction of $269,400.32. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer directly owned 1,523 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $457,920.41. This represents a 37.04% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, VP Annette F. Favorite sold 2,817 shares of the 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 transaction, the vice president directly owned 16,828 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,135,905.60. The trade was a 14.34% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. 0.60% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

West Pharmaceutical Services Price Performance

Shares of West Pharmaceutical Services stock opened at $319.98 on Tuesday. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $292.30 and a 200 day moving average of $269.75. West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. has a 12 month low of $206.80 and a 12 month high of $330.88. The firm has a market cap of $22.61 billion, a PE ratio of 42.78, a PEG ratio of 2.63 and a beta of 1.18. The company has a current ratio of 2.71, a quick ratio of 2.04 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.07.

West Pharmaceutical Services (NYSE:WST) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 23rd. The medical instruments supplier reported $2.13 EPS 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 during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $779.68 million. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $1.45 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue 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. On average, research analysts expect that West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. will post 8.6 EPS for the current fiscal year.

West Pharmaceutical Services announced that its board has initiated a stock repurchase plan on Tuesday, February 17th that authorizes the company to repurchase $1.00 billion in shares. This repurchase authorization authorizes the medical instruments supplier to purchase up to 5.6% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase plans are often a sign that the company’s board of directors 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.