Louisiana State Employees Retirement System Invests $927,000 in West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. $WST

Louisiana State Employees Retirement System acquired a new stake in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST) during the first quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund acquired 3,700 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock, valued at approximately $927,000.

A number of other large investors have also modified their holdings of WST. Elyxium Wealth LLC bought a new stake in West Pharmaceutical Services in the 4th quarter valued at $25,000. Bayban acquired a new position in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in the 4th quarter valued at $27,000. Private Trust Co. NA lifted its holdings in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 156.4% during the 4th 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. DV Equities LLC acquired a new stake in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services during the 4th quarter valued at about $28,000. Finally, International Assets Investment Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services during the 4th quarter valued at about $31,000. 93.90% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity at West Pharmaceutical Services

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 sale, the chief accounting officer directly owned 1,523 shares in the company, valued at $457,920.41. This represents a 37.04% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, VP Annette F. Favorite sold 2,817 shares of West Pharmaceutical Services stock in a transaction 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 of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,135,905.60. The trade was a 14.34% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. 0.60% of the stock is owned by insiders.

West Pharmaceutical Services Trading Up 0.0%

Shares of West Pharmaceutical Services stock opened at $365.87 on Monday. West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. has a 12-month low of $206.80 and a 12-month high of $367.66. The stock has a market capitalization of $25.85 billion, a P/E ratio of 48.91, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.06 and a beta of 1.16. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $322.63 and a 200 day simple moving average of $278.92. The company has a quick ratio of 2.04, a current ratio of 2.71 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.07.

West Pharmaceutical Services (NYSE:WST) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 23rd. The medical instruments supplier reported $2.13 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.68 by $0.45. The firm had revenue of $844.90 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $779.67 million. West Pharmaceutical Services had a net margin of 16.85% and a return on equity of 19.03%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 21.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $1.45 earnings per share. 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. Research analysts expect that West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. will post 8.6 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Citigroup reissued a “buy” rating on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in a research report on Friday, April 24th. Zacks Research raised West Pharmaceutical Services from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, May 13th. Wolfe Research initiated coverage on West Pharmaceutical Services in a research note on Monday, June 1st. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $375.00 price objective on the stock. KeyCorp increased their target price on West Pharmaceutical Services from $350.00 to $390.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday. Finally, Barclays upgraded West Pharmaceutical Services from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and raised their target price for the stock from $310.00 to $400.00 in a research report on Tuesday, June 9th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have issued a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $343.73.

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.