Intech Investment Management LLC Has $1.44 Million Stock Position in West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. $WST

Intech Investment Management LLC reduced its position in West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST) by 30.4% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 5,248 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after selling 2,295 shares during the period. Intech Investment Management LLC’s holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services were worth $1,444,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Artisan Partners Limited Partnership raised its holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services by 22.2% in the 3rd quarter. Artisan Partners Limited Partnership now owns 2,770,920 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $726,895,000 after acquiring an additional 503,601 shares during the period. Steadfast Capital Management LP bought a new position in West Pharmaceutical Services in the 3rd quarter valued at about $123,667,000. AQR Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services by 420.1% in the 3rd quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 545,879 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $142,949,000 after acquiring an additional 440,929 shares during the period. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services by 4.2% in the 3rd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 9,704,948 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $2,545,899,000 after acquiring an additional 388,144 shares during the period. Finally, Woodline Partners LP bought a new position in West Pharmaceutical Services in the 3rd quarter valued at about $66,164,000. 93.90% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms have weighed in on WST. Morgan Stanley increased their price target on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services from $315.00 to $325.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Friday, May 29th. Jefferies Financial Group reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $295.00 price target on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in a report on Tuesday, February 10th. Evercore reissued an “outperform” rating on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in a report on Friday, April 24th. Stephens reissued an “overweight” rating and issued a $360.00 price target on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in a report on Tuesday. Finally, UBS Group reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $340.00 price target on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in a report on Friday, February 13th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have assigned a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $331.91.

West Pharmaceutical Services Stock Down 0.8%

Shares of WST opened at $314.64 on Friday. West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. has a 12 month low of $206.80 and a 12 month high of $330.88. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $290.87 and its 200-day moving average is $269.27. The stock has a market capitalization of $22.23 billion, a PE ratio of 42.06, a P/E/G ratio of 2.66 and a beta of 1.18. The company has a current ratio of 2.71, a quick ratio of 2.04 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.07.

West Pharmaceutical Services (NYSE:WST) last announced its earnings results 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. 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 analysts’ expectations of $779.68 million. During the same period last year, the firm earned $1.45 earnings per share. The business’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. Equities research analysts forecast that West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. will post 8.6 EPS for the current year.

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

Insider Activity at West Pharmaceutical Services

In related news, VP Annette F. Favorite sold 2,817 shares of West Pharmaceutical Services stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, April 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $305.20, for a total value of $859,748.40. Following the transaction, the vice president directly owned 16,828 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $5,135,905.60. This trade represents a 14.34% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, CAO Chad Winters sold 896 shares of West Pharmaceutical Services stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, April 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $300.67, for a total transaction of $269,400.32. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer directly owned 1,523 shares in the company, valued at $457,920.41. This trade represents a 37.04% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. 0.60% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

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.