Hsbc Holdings PLC Acquires 27,745 Shares of West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. $WST

Hsbc Holdings PLC raised its holdings in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST) by 23.3% in the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 146,872 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after buying an additional 27,745 shares during the period. Hsbc Holdings PLC’s holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services were worth $40,425,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of WST. Empowered Funds LLC boosted its holdings in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 16.1% during the 1st quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 1,611 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $361,000 after buying an additional 224 shares during the period. Intech Investment Management LLC raised its holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services by 27.7% in 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 acquiring an additional 1,307 shares during the period. Acadian Asset Management LLC raised its holdings 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 valued at $284,000 after acquiring an additional 157 shares during the period. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its position in West Pharmaceutical Services by 78.2% during the second quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 449 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $98,000 after acquiring an additional 197 shares during the last quarter. Finally, First Trust Advisors LP lifted its position in West Pharmaceutical Services by 168.4% during the second quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 46,332 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $10,137,000 after acquiring an additional 29,067 shares during the last quarter. 93.90% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

West Pharmaceutical Services Trading Up 1.9%

Shares of WST stock opened at $336.09 on Wednesday. The stock has a market cap of $23.74 billion, a P/E ratio of 44.93, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.76 and a beta of 1.18. West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. has a 1 year low of $206.80 and a 1 year high of $336.82. 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 stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $308.92 and a 200 day simple moving average of $274.16.

West Pharmaceutical Services (NYSE:WST) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 23rd. The medical instruments supplier reported $2.13 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.68 by $0.45. The firm had revenue of $844.90 million for 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%.The company’s revenue was up 21.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the company 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. On average, research analysts predict that West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. will post 8.6 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling at West Pharmaceutical Services

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

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms have recently commented on WST. Citigroup reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in a research report on Friday, April 24th. Barclays upgraded West Pharmaceutical Services from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and boosted their price target for the company from $310.00 to $400.00 in a research note on Tuesday, June 9th. Morgan Stanley upped their price objective on West Pharmaceutical Services from $315.00 to $325.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Friday, May 29th. Wolfe Research began coverage on West Pharmaceutical Services in a research report on Monday, June 1st. They set an “outperform” rating and a $375.00 price objective on the stock. Finally, Zacks Research raised West Pharmaceutical Services from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, May 13th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have given a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, West Pharmaceutical Services has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average target price 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.