Findlay Park Partners LLP Has $210.42 Million Position in West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. $WST

Findlay Park Partners LLP lessened its stake in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST) by 1.8% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 802,106 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after selling 14,500 shares during the quarter. West Pharmaceutical Services comprises about 2.2% of Findlay Park Partners LLP’s portfolio, making the stock its 16th largest holding. Findlay Park Partners LLP owned approximately 1.11% of West Pharmaceutical Services worth $210,416,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Generation Investment Management LLP acquired a new position in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in the second quarter valued at approximately $255,072,000. Norges Bank bought a new stake in West Pharmaceutical Services in the 2nd quarter valued at $200,813,000. Artisan Partners Limited Partnership grew its holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services by 22.2% in the 3rd quarter. Artisan Partners Limited Partnership now owns 2,770,920 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $726,895,000 after buying an additional 503,601 shares in the last quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its position in West Pharmaceutical Services by 4.2% during the 3rd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 9,704,948 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $2,545,899,000 after buying an additional 388,144 shares during the period. Finally, ProShare Advisors LLC boosted its position in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 46.8% in the second quarter. ProShare Advisors LLC now owns 738,368 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $161,555,000 after acquiring an additional 235,272 shares during the period. 93.90% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

West Pharmaceutical Services Stock Up 2.0%

WST stock opened at $254.10 on Friday. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $256.49 and a 200-day moving average price of $261.89. West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. has a 12 month low of $187.43 and a 12 month high of $322.34. The company has a current ratio of 3.02, a quick ratio of 2.34 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.06. The stock has a market capitalization of $18.30 billion, a P/E ratio of 37.42, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.63 and a beta of 1.18.

West Pharmaceutical Services (NYSE:WST) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 12th. The medical instruments supplier reported $2.04 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.83 by $0.21. The business had revenue of $805.00 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $795.70 million. West Pharmaceutical Services had a net margin of 16.06% and a return on equity of 17.90%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 7.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $1.82 EPS. West Pharmaceutical Services has set its FY 2026 guidance at 7.850-8.200 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. will post 6.62 EPS for the current fiscal year.

West Pharmaceutical Services Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, May 6th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, April 29th will be paid a $0.22 dividend. This represents a $0.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.3%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, April 29th. West Pharmaceutical Services’s dividend payout ratio is presently 12.96%.

West Pharmaceutical Services declared that its Board of Directors has initiated a share repurchase program on Tuesday, February 17th that permits the company to repurchase $1.00 billion in shares. This repurchase authorization permits the medical instruments supplier to reacquire up to 5.6% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase programs are generally an indication that the company’s leadership believes its shares are undervalued.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts recently commented on WST shares. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $315.00 price target on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in a research report on Friday, February 13th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in a research report on Friday, January 9th. Zacks Research raised West Pharmaceutical Services from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 21st. Barclays lowered their price objective on West Pharmaceutical Services from $325.00 to $265.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, February 13th. Finally, UBS Group reissued a “buy” rating and set a $340.00 target price on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in a report on Friday, February 13th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have assigned a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, West Pharmaceutical Services presently has an average rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $314.56.

West Pharmaceutical Services 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.