West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. $WST Shares Acquired by Bank of Nova Scotia

Bank of Nova Scotia increased its position in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST) by 337.8% during the 1st quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor owned 65,323 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after purchasing an additional 50,402 shares during the quarter. Bank of Nova Scotia’s holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services were worth $16,373,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Nordea Investment Management AB grew its holdings in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 42.7% during the 4th quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 14,950 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $4,122,000 after purchasing an additional 4,477 shares during the period. Birch Hill Investment Advisors LLC raised its holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services by 11.5% in the 4th quarter. Birch Hill Investment Advisors LLC now owns 152,148 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $41,862,000 after buying an additional 15,678 shares during the period. Brendel Financial Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in West Pharmaceutical Services in the 4th quarter valued at about $3,742,000. DAVENPORT & Co LLC lifted its position in West Pharmaceutical Services by 559.8% in the fourth quarter. DAVENPORT & Co LLC now owns 9,521 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $2,620,000 after buying an additional 8,078 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Annex Advisory Services LLC lifted its position in West Pharmaceutical Services by 8.7% in the fourth quarter. Annex Advisory Services LLC now owns 122,958 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $33,831,000 after buying an additional 9,800 shares during the last quarter. 93.90% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

West Pharmaceutical Services Stock Down 7.6%

Shares of WST opened at $328.61 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $23.22 billion, a PE ratio of 42.08, a P/E/G ratio of 2.55 and a beta of 1.16. West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. has a 1 year low of $223.83 and a 1 year high of $386.00. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.07, a quick ratio of 2.04 and a current ratio of 2.82. The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $337.02 and its 200-day simple moving average is $287.43.

West Pharmaceutical Services (NYSE:WST) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 23rd. The medical instruments supplier reported $2.37 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.08 by $0.29. The firm had revenue of $872.30 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $839.98 million. West Pharmaceutical Services had a net margin of 16.98% and a return on equity of 20.11%. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 13.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $1.84 earnings per share. West Pharmaceutical Services has set its Q3 2026 guidance at 2.140-2.240 EPS and its FY 2026 guidance at 8.850-9.050 EPS. Analysts forecast that West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. will post 8.93 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

West Pharmaceutical Services Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, August 5th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, July 29th will be given a $0.22 dividend. This represents a $0.88 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.3%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, July 29th. West Pharmaceutical Services’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 11.27%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

WST has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. KeyCorp lifted their price target on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services from $350.00 to $390.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, July 2nd. Barclays upgraded shares of West Pharmaceutical Services from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and upped their price objective for the stock from $310.00 to $400.00 in a report on Tuesday, June 9th. Morgan Stanley lifted their target price on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services from $325.00 to $365.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Thursday, July 9th. Stephens reissued an “overweight” rating and issued a $360.00 target price on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in a research report on Tuesday, June 2nd. Finally, Zacks Research upgraded West Pharmaceutical Services from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 13th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have given a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $363.17.

West Pharmaceutical Services News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting West Pharmaceutical Services this week:

• Positive Sentiment: West posted a strong second quarter, with adjusted EPS of $2.37 and revenue of $872.3 million, both above expectations. The company also raised full-year 2026 EPS guidance and gave third-quarter guidance that topped consensus, which supports the longer-term outlook. West Reports Second-Quarter 2026 Results
• Positive Sentiment: Demand remains strong for high-value injectable drug components, including products tied to GLP-1 and biologics markets, which helped drive the beat and the higher outlook. Reuters article on raised forecast
• Neutral Sentiment: Investors may be taking profits after the stock’s sharp earnings-driven surge in the prior session, especially since there was no major new negative company announcement or filing behind today’s weakness. Quiver Quantitative article
• Neutral Sentiment: Recent insider sales from two executives may add a small overhang, but the activity is limited and does not appear to be the main driver of the stock’s move. Insider trading details

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 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 in the company, valued at $457,920.41. The trade was a 37.04% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, VP Annette F. Favorite sold 2,817 shares of the company’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 sale, the vice president directly owned 16,828 shares in the company, valued at $5,135,905.60. This represents a 14.34% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Company 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.