APG Asset Management N.V. Sells 244,966 Shares of West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. $WST

APG Asset Management N.V. cut its holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST) by 14.8% during the third quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 1,413,698 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after selling 244,966 shares during the period. West Pharmaceutical Services comprises approximately 0.7% of APG Asset Management N.V.’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 18th biggest holding. APG Asset Management N.V.’s holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services were worth $370,855,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in WST. CYBER HORNET ETFs LLC bought a new position in West Pharmaceutical Services in the second quarter valued at $25,000. Vermillion & White Wealth Management Group LLC boosted its stake in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 193.9% during the 2nd quarter. Vermillion & White Wealth Management Group LLC now owns 144 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $32,000 after buying an additional 95 shares during the last quarter. SJS Investment Consulting Inc. boosted its stake in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 1,842.9% during the 3rd quarter. SJS Investment Consulting Inc. now owns 136 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $36,000 after buying an additional 129 shares during the last quarter. Pilgrim Partners Asia Pte Ltd bought a new position in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in the 3rd quarter valued at about $47,000. Finally, MUFG Securities EMEA plc acquired a new stake in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in the second quarter valued at about $47,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 93.90% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts recently commented on the company. UBS Group reissued a “buy” rating and set a $340.00 price target on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in a research report on Friday, February 13th. Evercore dropped their price objective on West Pharmaceutical Services from $390.00 to $320.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, February 3rd. Barclays cut their price objective on West Pharmaceutical Services from $325.00 to $265.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Friday, February 13th. Wall Street Zen raised shares of West Pharmaceutical Services from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Saturday, December 20th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $315.00 price target on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in a research report on Friday, February 13th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have issued a Buy rating and three have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $314.56.

West Pharmaceutical Services Trading Up 2.0%

WST stock opened at $254.10 on Friday. West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. has a one year low of $187.43 and a one year high of $322.34. The stock has a market cap of $18.30 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 37.42, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.69 and a beta of 1.18. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $256.49 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $262.05. 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 posted its 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 company had revenue of $805.00 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $795.70 million. West Pharmaceutical Services had a net margin of 16.06% and a return on equity of 17.90%. West Pharmaceutical Services’s quarterly revenue was up 7.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $1.82 EPS. West Pharmaceutical Services has set its FY 2026 guidance at 7.850-8.200 EPS. Equities analysts anticipate that West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. will post 6.62 EPS for the current year.

West Pharmaceutical Services Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, May 6th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, April 29th will be issued a dividend of $0.22 per share. This represents a $0.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.3%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, April 29th. West Pharmaceutical Services’s payout ratio is currently 12.96%.

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

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.