Daiwa Securities Group Inc. Grows Stake in West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. $WST

Daiwa Securities Group Inc. lifted its stake in West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST) by 21.3% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 16,528 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after purchasing an additional 2,903 shares during the period. Daiwa Securities Group Inc.’s holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services were worth $4,548,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Elyxium Wealth LLC bought a new stake in West Pharmaceutical Services during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $25,000. CYBER HORNET ETFs LLC bought a new stake in West Pharmaceutical Services during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Private Trust Co. NA boosted its position in 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 valued at $28,000 after acquiring an additional 61 shares in the last quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC bought a new stake in West Pharmaceutical Services during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Finally, Torren Management LLC bought a new stake in West Pharmaceutical Services during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $34,000. 93.90% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts have weighed in on the company. Morgan Stanley lifted their price objective on West Pharmaceutical Services from $315.00 to $325.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Friday, May 29th. Jefferies Financial Group reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $295.00 price objective on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in a research report on Tuesday, February 10th. 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. Wolfe Research initiated coverage on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in a research note on Monday, June 1st. They set an “outperform” rating and a $375.00 price objective on the stock. Finally, Weiss Ratings raised shares of West Pharmaceutical Services from a “hold (c-)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a research note on Monday, April 27th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have issued a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $331.91.

West Pharmaceutical Services Trading Up 1.7%

NYSE:WST opened at $319.98 on Tuesday. West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. has a one year low of $206.80 and a one year high of $330.88. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.07, a current ratio of 2.71 and a quick ratio of 2.04. The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $292.30 and its 200 day simple moving average is $269.75. The firm has a market capitalization of $22.61 billion, a P/E ratio of 42.78, a PEG ratio of 2.63 and a beta of 1.18.

West Pharmaceutical Services (NYSE:WST) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 23rd. The medical instruments supplier reported $2.13 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.68 by $0.45. West Pharmaceutical Services had a net margin of 16.85% and a return on equity of 19.03%. The business had revenue of $844.90 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $779.68 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $1.45 earnings per share. West Pharmaceutical Services’s quarterly 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. As a group, analysts forecast that West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. will post 8.6 EPS for the current fiscal year.

West Pharmaceutical Services announced that its Board of Directors has authorized a stock buyback plan on Tuesday, February 17th that permits the company to buyback $1.00 billion in shares. This buyback authorization permits the medical instruments supplier to reacquire up to 5.6% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback plans are usually a sign that the company’s leadership believes its shares are undervalued.

Insider Activity

In other West Pharmaceutical Services news, CAO Chad Winters sold 896 shares of West Pharmaceutical Services stock in a transaction dated 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 transaction, the chief accounting officer directly owned 1,523 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $457,920.41. The trade was 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 transaction of $859,748.40. Following 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 position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders own 0.60% of the company’s stock.

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.