Assetmark Inc. Has $2.66 Million Stake in West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. $WST

Assetmark Inc. decreased its position in West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST) by 18.4% in the 1st quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor owned 10,599 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after selling 2,394 shares during the quarter. Assetmark Inc.’s holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services were worth $2,657,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Nordea Investment Management AB grew its position in 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 lifted its holdings in shares of 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 position in West Pharmaceutical Services during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $3,742,000. DAVENPORT & Co LLC lifted its holdings 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 acquiring an additional 8,078 shares during the period. Finally, Annex Advisory Services LLC lifted its holdings 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 acquiring an additional 9,800 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 93.90% of the company’s stock.

Key West Pharmaceutical Services News

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

• Positive Sentiment: West Pharmaceutical beat Q2 expectations, reporting adjusted EPS of $2.37 versus $2.08 expected and revenue of $872.3 million versus $840.0 million expected, showing solid demand across its business. West Reports Second-Quarter 2026 Results
• Positive Sentiment: The company raised full-year 2026 guidance, now expecting EPS of $8.85 to $9.05 and revenue of $3.3 billion to $3.4 billion, both above prior expectations. West Pharmaceutical raises annual profit forecast on strong demand for injectable drug components
• Positive Sentiment: Management pointed to strong demand for high-value products, including components tied to GLP-1, diabetes, obesity, and biologics drugs, which is helping drive growth and improve investor sentiment. West Pharmaceutical CEO Highlights GLP-1 And Biologics Momentum
• Neutral Sentiment: The company also issued Q3 guidance slightly above analyst estimates, reinforcing confidence in near-term momentum. West Pharmaceutical Raises 2026 Guidance After Strong Quarter

West Pharmaceutical Services Price Performance

West Pharmaceutical Services stock opened at $355.25 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $25.10 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 47.49, a PEG ratio of 2.90 and a beta of 1.16. 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, Inc. has a 52-week low of $223.83 and a 52-week high of $386.00. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $336.51 and a 200-day simple moving average of $287.14.

West Pharmaceutical Services (NYSE:WST) last released its earnings results on Thursday, July 23rd. The medical instruments supplier reported $2.37 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.08 by $0.29. The business had revenue of $872.30 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $839.98 million. West Pharmaceutical Services had a net margin of 16.85% and a return on equity of 19.03%. The business’s revenue was up 13.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the company posted $1.84 EPS. 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. On average, equities analysts anticipate that West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. will post 8.6 EPS for the current fiscal year.

West Pharmaceutical Services Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, August 5th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, July 29th will be issued a $0.22 dividend. This represents a $0.88 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.2%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, July 29th. West Pharmaceutical Services’s dividend payout ratio is presently 11.76%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts recently commented on the stock. Morgan Stanley raised their price target on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services from $325.00 to $365.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Thursday, July 9th. Zacks Research raised shares of West Pharmaceutical Services from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 13th. Stephens restated 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 and issued a $410.00 price target on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in a research note on Monday, July 6th. Finally, Barclays raised West Pharmaceutical Services from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and upped their price target for the stock from $310.00 to $400.00 in a report on Tuesday, June 9th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, West Pharmaceutical Services presently has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $363.17.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, CAO Chad Winters sold 896 shares of West Pharmaceutical Services 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 owned 1,523 shares in the company, valued at $457,920.41. The trade was a 37.04% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, VP Annette F. Favorite sold 2,817 shares of the business’s 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 transaction, the vice president directly owned 16,828 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,135,905.60. The trade was a 14.34% 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 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.