Artisan Partners Limited Partnership Increases Position in West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. $WST

Artisan Partners Limited Partnership raised its position in West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST) by 2.9% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 2,850,401 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after purchasing an additional 79,481 shares during the period. West Pharmaceutical Services accounts for 1.2% of Artisan Partners Limited Partnership’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 20th largest holding. Artisan Partners Limited Partnership’s holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services were worth $784,259,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors also recently modified their holdings of WST. Elyxium Wealth LLC purchased a new stake in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $25,000. CYBER HORNET ETFs LLC purchased a new stake in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Private Trust Co. NA increased its position in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 156.4% in the 4th quarter. Private Trust Co. NA now owns 100 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $28,000 after purchasing an additional 61 shares during the last quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Finally, Torren Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in the 4th quarter valued at $34,000. 93.90% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling at West Pharmaceutical Services

In other West Pharmaceutical Services news, VP Annette F. Favorite sold 2,817 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction 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 transaction, the vice president directly owned 16,828 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,135,905.60. This trade represents a 14.34% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. 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 transaction of $269,400.32. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer directly owned 1,523 shares in the company, valued at $457,920.41. The trade was a 37.04% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Company insiders own 0.60% of the company’s stock.

West Pharmaceutical Services Trading Down 0.5%

Shares of West Pharmaceutical Services stock opened at $329.77 on Wednesday. West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. has a 1 year low of $206.80 and a 1 year high of $336.82. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.07, a quick ratio of 2.04 and a current ratio of 2.71. The company has a market capitalization of $23.30 billion, a P/E ratio of 44.09, a PEG ratio of 2.77 and a beta of 1.18. The company’s fifty day moving average is $301.98 and its two-hundred day moving average is $272.34.

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 (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 company had revenue of $844.90 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $779.68 million. During the same period last year, the firm posted $1.45 EPS. West Pharmaceutical Services’s revenue for the quarter 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 forecast that West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. will post 8.6 earnings per share for the current year.

West Pharmaceutical Services declared that its Board of Directors has initiated a stock buyback program on Tuesday, February 17th that allows the company to buyback $1.00 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization allows the medical instruments supplier to repurchase up to 5.6% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback programs are generally a sign that the company’s board believes its stock is undervalued.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

WST has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. Wolfe Research initiated coverage on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in a research report on Monday, June 1st. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $375.00 target price on the stock. Weiss Ratings raised shares of West Pharmaceutical Services from a “hold (c-)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a research report on Monday, April 27th. Stephens reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and issued a $360.00 target price on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in a research report on Tuesday, June 2nd. Citigroup reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in a research report on Friday, April 24th. Finally, Morgan Stanley increased their target price on shares of 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 issued a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $340.09.

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.