Assenagon Asset Management S.A. Sells 113,445 Shares of West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. $WST

Assenagon Asset Management S.A. decreased its position in West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST) by 45.2% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 137,561 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after selling 113,445 shares during the period. Assenagon Asset Management S.A.’s holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services were worth $34,478,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Darwin Wealth Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 10.8% in the 4th quarter. Darwin Wealth Management LLC now owns 410 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $113,000 after buying an additional 40 shares during the last quarter. Aptus Capital Advisors LLC raised its stake in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 5.5% during the 4th quarter. Aptus Capital Advisors LLC now owns 905 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $249,000 after purchasing an additional 47 shares during the period. Faithward Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 0.4% in the 3rd quarter. Faithward Advisors LLC now owns 11,855 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $3,110,000 after buying an additional 48 shares during the last quarter. IFM Investors Pty Ltd boosted its holdings in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 0.4% in the 4th quarter. IFM Investors Pty Ltd now owns 13,730 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $3,778,000 after buying an additional 49 shares during the last quarter. Finally, PFG Advisors grew its position in West Pharmaceutical Services by 1.5% during the third quarter. PFG Advisors now owns 3,302 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $866,000 after buying an additional 50 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 93.90% of the company’s stock.

West Pharmaceutical Services Stock Performance

NYSE:WST opened at $351.07 on Friday. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $313.84 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $275.59. West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. has a twelve month low of $206.80 and a twelve month high of $352.31. The stock has a market cap of $24.80 billion, a P/E ratio of 46.93, a PEG ratio of 2.90 and a beta of 1.18. The company has a quick ratio of 2.04, a current ratio of 2.71 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.07.

West Pharmaceutical Services (NYSE:WST) last issued 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. The company had revenue of $844.90 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $779.67 million. West Pharmaceutical Services had a return on equity of 19.03% and a net margin of 16.85%.West Pharmaceutical Services’s revenue was up 21.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $1.45 earnings per share. 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, equities analysts predict that West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. will post 8.6 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity at West Pharmaceutical Services

In other West Pharmaceutical Services news, 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 transaction, 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 transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, VP Annette F. Favorite sold 2,817 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, April 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $305.20, for a total transaction of $859,748.40. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president directly owned 16,828 shares in the company, valued at $5,135,905.60. The trade was a 14.34% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders own 0.60% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts recently issued reports on WST shares. Wolfe Research started coverage on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in a report on Monday, June 1st. They set an “outperform” rating and a $375.00 price objective for the company. Stephens reissued an “overweight” rating and set a $360.00 target price on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in a research report on Tuesday, June 2nd. Evercore restated an “outperform” rating on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in a research note on Friday, April 24th. Zacks Research raised shares of West Pharmaceutical Services from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, May 13th. Finally, Weiss Ratings upgraded West Pharmaceutical Services from a “hold (c-)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a research note on Monday, April 27th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have assigned a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target 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.