AMI Asset Management Corp Sells 4,638 Shares of West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. $WST

AMI Asset Management Corp decreased its position in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST) by 2.9% during the first quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 154,401 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after selling 4,638 shares during the period. West Pharmaceutical Services makes up approximately 2.5% of AMI Asset Management Corp’s holdings, making the stock its 20th biggest holding. AMI Asset Management Corp’s holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services were worth $38,699,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Empowered Funds LLC boosted its holdings in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 16.1% in the 1st quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 1,611 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $361,000 after purchasing an additional 224 shares in the last quarter. Intech Investment Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 27.7% during the 1st quarter. Intech Investment Management LLC now owns 6,020 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $1,348,000 after buying an additional 1,307 shares in the last quarter. Acadian Asset Management LLC lifted its position in West Pharmaceutical Services by 14.1% in the 1st quarter. Acadian Asset Management LLC now owns 1,271 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $284,000 after buying an additional 157 shares during the last quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its position in West Pharmaceutical Services by 78.2% in the 2nd quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 449 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $98,000 after buying an additional 197 shares during the last quarter. Finally, First Trust Advisors LP boosted its stake in West Pharmaceutical Services by 168.4% in the second quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 46,332 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $10,137,000 after buying an additional 29,067 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 93.90% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity

In other news, CAO Chad Winters sold 896 shares of the firm’s 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 sale, the chief accounting officer directly owned 1,523 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $457,920.41. This trade represents a 37.04% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, VP Annette F. Favorite sold 2,817 shares of West Pharmaceutical Services stock in a transaction dated 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 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. Company insiders own 0.60% of the company’s stock.

West Pharmaceutical Services Stock Performance

West Pharmaceutical Services stock opened at $355.00 on Tuesday. The company has a current ratio of 2.71, a quick ratio of 2.04 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.07. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $315.55 and a 200-day moving average of $276.26. The firm has a market cap of $25.08 billion, a P/E ratio of 47.46, a P/E/G ratio of 2.94 and a beta of 1.18. West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. has a 1-year low of $206.80 and a 1-year high of $355.12.

West Pharmaceutical Services (NYSE:WST) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 23rd. The medical instruments supplier reported $2.13 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.68 by $0.45. The company had revenue of $844.90 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate 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% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business 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. Sell-side analysts expect that West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. will post 8.6 EPS for the current year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts have commented on WST shares. Barclays upgraded shares of West Pharmaceutical Services from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and increased their price target for the company from $310.00 to $400.00 in a research report on Tuesday, June 9th. Evercore reaffirmed an “outperform” rating on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in a research note on Friday, April 24th. Citigroup reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in a report on Friday, April 24th. Zacks Research upgraded shares of West Pharmaceutical Services from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 13th. Finally, Stephens reissued an “overweight” rating and issued a $360.00 price target on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in a research note on Tuesday, June 2nd. 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 stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $340.09.

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.