Geode Capital Management LLC Raises Stock Holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. $WST

Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST) by 0.6% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 1,869,086 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after purchasing an additional 11,962 shares during the quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC’s holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services were worth $512,250,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of WST. Elyxium Wealth LLC purchased a new stake in West Pharmaceutical Services in the fourth quarter worth approximately $25,000. CYBER HORNET ETFs LLC purchased a new stake in West Pharmaceutical Services in the second quarter worth approximately $25,000. Private Trust Co. NA boosted its stake in 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 buying an additional 61 shares in the last quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC purchased a new stake in West Pharmaceutical Services in the fourth quarter worth approximately $31,000. Finally, Torren Management LLC purchased a new stake in West Pharmaceutical Services in the fourth quarter worth approximately $34,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 93.90% of the company’s stock.

West Pharmaceutical Services Stock Performance

Shares of WST stock opened at $322.81 on Monday. 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 fifty-two week low of $206.10 and a fifty-two week high of $330.88. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $283.57 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $267.67. The company has a market capitalization of $22.81 billion, a P/E ratio of 43.16, a PEG ratio of 2.70 and a beta of 1.18.

West Pharmaceutical Services (NYSE:WST) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 23rd. The medical instruments supplier reported $2.13 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate 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 firm had revenue of $844.90 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $779.68 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $1.45 earnings per share. The business’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. Analysts expect that West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. will post 8.6 earnings per share for the current year.

West Pharmaceutical Services announced that its Board of Directors has authorized a stock buyback 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 reacquire up to 5.6% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase plans are typically a sign that the company’s board believes its stock is undervalued.

Insider Activity at West Pharmaceutical Services

In other West Pharmaceutical Services news, VP Annette F. Favorite sold 2,817 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, April 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $305.20, for a total value of $859,748.40. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president owned 16,828 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,135,905.60. The trade was a 14.34% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, CAO Chad Winters sold 896 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, April 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $300.67, for a total value of $269,400.32. Following the completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer owned 1,523 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $457,920.41. The trade was a 37.04% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders own 0.60% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

WST has been the subject of several research reports. Zacks Research raised West Pharmaceutical Services from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 13th. Evercore reaffirmed an “outperform” rating on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in a research note on Friday, April 24th. Morgan Stanley upped their target price on West Pharmaceutical Services from $315.00 to $325.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Friday. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $315.00 target price on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in a research note on Friday, February 13th. Finally, Weiss Ratings raised West Pharmaceutical Services from a “hold (c-)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a research note on Monday, April 27th. Two 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 stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $324.00.

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.