Brown Advisory Inc. Trims Stake in West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. $WST

Brown Advisory Inc. reduced its position in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST) by 22.2% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 1,943,606 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after selling 554,476 shares during the quarter. Brown Advisory Inc. owned about 2.70% of West Pharmaceutical Services worth $534,771,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Elyxium Wealth LLC purchased a new position in West Pharmaceutical Services during the 4th quarter worth $25,000. CYBER HORNET ETFs LLC purchased a new position in West Pharmaceutical Services during the 2nd quarter worth $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 $31,000. Finally, Torren Management LLC bought a new stake in West Pharmaceutical Services during the 4th quarter valued at $34,000. 93.90% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, VP Annette F. Favorite sold 2,817 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction 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 of the company’s stock, valued at $5,135,905.60. This trade represents a 14.34% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CAO Chad Winters sold 896 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, April 27th. The stock was 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 directly 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. 0.60% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

West Pharmaceutical Services Stock Down 0.6%

West Pharmaceutical Services stock opened at $328.33 on Friday. 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 stock has a market capitalization of $23.20 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 43.89, a PEG ratio of 2.75 and a beta of 1.18. West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. has a 1-year low of $206.80 and a 1-year high of $336.82. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $298.97 and a 200-day moving average price of $271.63.

West Pharmaceutical Services (NYSE:WST) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 23rd. The medical instruments supplier reported $2.13 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.68 by $0.45. The firm had revenue of $844.90 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $779.68 million. West Pharmaceutical Services had a return on equity of 19.03% and a net margin of 16.85%.The business’s quarterly revenue was up 21.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $1.45 EPS. 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. Equities research 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 approved a share 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 reacquire up to 5.6% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback programs are often an indication that the company’s board believes its stock is undervalued.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts have issued reports on WST shares. Evercore reaffirmed an “outperform” rating on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in a research report on Friday, April 24th. Stephens reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and set a $360.00 target price on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in a research report on Tuesday, June 2nd. Zacks Research raised West Pharmaceutical Services from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 13th. Wolfe Research started coverage on West Pharmaceutical Services in a research report on Monday, June 1st. They set an “outperform” rating and a $375.00 target price on the stock. Finally, Morgan Stanley increased their target price 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. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have assigned a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $340.09.

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.