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

Hsbc Holdings PLC lifted its position in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST) by 23.3% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 146,872 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after acquiring an additional 27,745 shares during the quarter. Hsbc Holdings PLC’s holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services were worth $40,425,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. State Street Corp increased its holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services by 2.1% in the 2nd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 3,271,866 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $715,884,000 after purchasing an additional 68,330 shares in the last quarter. Artisan Partners Limited Partnership grew its holdings in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 2.9% during the fourth quarter. Artisan Partners Limited Partnership now owns 2,850,401 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $784,259,000 after purchasing an additional 79,481 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC increased its stake in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 0.6% in the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 1,869,086 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $512,250,000 after buying an additional 11,962 shares during the period. Generation Investment Management LLP increased its stake in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 60.0% in the fourth quarter. Generation Investment Management LLP now owns 1,561,869 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $429,733,000 after buying an additional 585,855 shares during the period. Finally, Morgan Stanley raised its holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services by 3.6% in the 4th quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 1,531,858 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $421,476,000 after buying an additional 53,229 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 93.90% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms have weighed in on WST. Wolfe Research began coverage on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in a report on Monday, June 1st. They set an “outperform” rating and a $375.00 target price on the stock. Barclays upgraded shares of West Pharmaceutical Services from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and lifted their price target for the stock from $310.00 to $400.00 in a report on Tuesday, June 9th. Stephens reissued an “overweight” rating and issued a $360.00 price objective on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in a research note on Tuesday, June 2nd. Morgan Stanley increased 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. Finally, Zacks Research raised West Pharmaceutical Services from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research 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 issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $343.73.

West Pharmaceutical Services Price Performance

WST stock opened at $365.87 on Monday. The company has a quick ratio of 2.04, a current ratio of 2.71 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.07. The firm has a market cap of $25.85 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 48.91, a PEG ratio of 3.06 and a beta of 1.16. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $322.63 and its 200 day simple moving average is $278.92. West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. has a 12-month low of $206.80 and a 12-month high of $367.66.

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

Insider Buying and Selling

In other West Pharmaceutical Services news, VP Annette F. Favorite sold 2,817 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, April 27th. The stock was 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 approximately $5,135,905.60. The trade was a 14.34% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, CAO Chad Winters sold 896 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred 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 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 ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. 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.