Prudential PLC Sells 12,508 Shares of West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. $WST

Prudential PLC reduced its holdings in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST) by 44.5% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 15,598 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after selling 12,508 shares during the quarter. Prudential PLC’s holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services were worth $4,292,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Elyxium Wealth LLC bought a new stake in West Pharmaceutical Services during the fourth quarter worth $25,000. Private Trust Co. NA lifted its holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services by 156.4% during the fourth quarter. Private Trust Co. NA now owns 100 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $28,000 after acquiring an additional 61 shares during the period. International Assets Investment Management LLC bought a new stake in West Pharmaceutical Services during the fourth quarter worth $31,000. CYBER HORNET ETFs LLC bought a new stake in West Pharmaceutical Services during the second quarter worth $25,000. Finally, Torren Management LLC bought a new stake in West Pharmaceutical Services during the fourth quarter worth $34,000. 93.90% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts recently commented on the company. Citigroup reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in a report on Friday, April 24th. UBS Group reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $340.00 price target on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in a report on Friday, February 13th. Jefferies Financial Group reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $295.00 price objective on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in a research note on Tuesday, February 10th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $315.00 price objective on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in a research note on Friday, February 13th. Finally, Zacks Research upgraded West Pharmaceutical Services from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 13th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have issued a Buy rating and three have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $331.91.

Insider Buying and Selling at West Pharmaceutical Services

In other West Pharmaceutical Services news, VP Annette F. Favorite sold 2,817 shares of the 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 sale, the vice president owned 16,828 shares in the company, valued at $5,135,905.60. This represents a 14.34% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, CAO Chad Winters sold 896 shares of the 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 in the company, valued at approximately $457,920.41. This represents a 37.04% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Corporate insiders own 0.60% of the company’s stock.

West Pharmaceutical Services Trading Down 0.8%

NYSE:WST opened at $314.64 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $22.23 billion, a P/E ratio of 42.06, a P/E/G ratio of 2.63 and a beta of 1.18. The stock’s fifty day moving average price is $290.87 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $269.27. West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. has a 1 year low of $206.80 and a 1 year high of $330.88. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.07, a current ratio of 2.71 and a quick ratio of 2.04.

West Pharmaceutical Services (NYSE:WST) last posted its 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. The firm had revenue of $844.90 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $779.68 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 quarter in the prior year, the business posted $1.45 earnings per share. 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. As a group, analysts expect that West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. will post 8.6 EPS for the current year.

West Pharmaceutical Services declared that its board has authorized a stock repurchase program 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 buy up to 5.6% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase programs are usually an indication that the company’s board believes its stock is undervalued.

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.