Conestoga Capital Advisors LLC Has $32.83 Million Holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. $WST

Conestoga Capital Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST) by 6.7% in the first quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The fund owned 130,970 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after acquiring an additional 8,179 shares during the period. Conestoga Capital Advisors LLC’s holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services were worth $32,826,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Elyxium Wealth LLC bought a new position in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services during the fourth quarter worth approximately $25,000. CYBER HORNET ETFs LLC bought a new stake in West Pharmaceutical Services in the 2nd quarter valued at $25,000. Bayban acquired a new position in West Pharmaceutical Services in the 4th quarter valued at $27,000. Private Trust Co. NA grew its holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services by 156.4% in the 4th quarter. Private Trust Co. NA now owns 100 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $28,000 after buying an additional 61 shares in the last quarter. Finally, DV Equities LLC bought a new position in West Pharmaceutical Services during the fourth quarter worth about $28,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 93.90% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

WST has been the subject of several analyst reports. Stephens reiterated an “overweight” rating and issued a $360.00 price objective on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in a research note on Tuesday, June 2nd. Citigroup reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in a report on Friday, April 24th. Wolfe Research started coverage on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in a research report on Monday, June 1st. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $375.00 price target for the company. Weiss Ratings upgraded West Pharmaceutical Services from a “hold (c-)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a research note on Monday, April 27th. Finally, Barclays raised West Pharmaceutical Services from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and increased their price target for the stock from $310.00 to $400.00 in a research report on Tuesday, June 9th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have given a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, West Pharmaceutical Services currently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $340.09.

West Pharmaceutical Services Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:WST opened at $365.03 on Thursday. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $318.99 and a 200-day moving average of $277.56. West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. has a 12 month low of $206.80 and a 12 month high of $365.49. 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 market capitalization of $25.79 billion, a PE ratio of 48.80, a PEG ratio of 3.00 and a beta of 1.16.

West Pharmaceutical Services (NYSE:WST) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 23rd. The medical instruments supplier reported $2.13 earnings per share (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 business had revenue of $844.90 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $779.67 million. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $1.45 EPS. The firm’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. On average, equities research analysts predict that West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. will post 8.6 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

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

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.