Meiji Yasuda Asset Management Co Ltd. Makes New Investment in West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. $WST

Meiji Yasuda Asset Management Co Ltd. bought a new stake in West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST) in the 2nd quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor bought 12,910 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock, valued at approximately $4,635,000.

Several other large investors have also made changes to their positions in WST. BlackRock Inc. bought a new position in West Pharmaceutical Services in the second quarter valued at approximately $2,387,990,000. Bank of New York Mellon Corp acquired a new stake in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in the 2nd quarter valued at $733,733,000. Generation Investment Management LLP acquired a new position in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services during the 2nd quarter worth $728,168,000. Norges Bank acquired a new position in West Pharmaceutical Services during the fourth quarter worth about $272,041,000. Finally, Findlay Park Partners LLP acquired a new stake in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $214,196,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 93.90% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts recently commented on the stock. TD Cowen reissued a “buy” rating on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in a research note on Wednesday, July 15th. Morgan Stanley upped their price target on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services from $325.00 to $365.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Thursday, July 9th. Stephens restated an “overweight” rating and set a $360.00 price objective on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in a research report on Tuesday, June 2nd. Weiss Ratings raised West Pharmaceutical Services from a “hold (c)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a report on Friday, August 7th. Finally, Citigroup increased their target price on West Pharmaceutical Services from $400.00 to $412.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, August 3rd. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have issued a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $368.08.

West Pharmaceutical Services Stock Performance

Shares of West Pharmaceutical Services stock opened at $352.94 on Monday. West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. has a 52 week low of $223.83 and a 52 week high of $386.00. The company has a quick ratio of 2.12, a current ratio of 2.82 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.07. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $348.61 and a 200-day moving average price of $300.19. The company has a market cap of $24.84 billion, a PE ratio of 45.19, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.47 and a beta of 1.15.

West Pharmaceutical Services (NYSE:WST) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, July 23rd. The medical instruments supplier reported $2.37 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.08 by $0.29. West Pharmaceutical Services had a net margin of 16.98% and a return on equity of 20.11%. The firm had revenue of $872.30 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $839.98 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $1.84 EPS. The business’s revenue was up 13.8% compared to the same quarter last year. West Pharmaceutical Services has set its Q3 2026 guidance at 2.140-2.240 EPS and its FY 2026 guidance at 8.850-9.050 EPS. Equities analysts anticipate that West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. will post 8.93 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

West Pharmaceutical Services Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, August 5th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, July 29th were given a dividend of $0.22 per share. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, July 29th. This represents a $0.88 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.2%. West Pharmaceutical Services’s dividend payout ratio is 11.27%.

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.