SG Americas Securities LLC Grows Holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. $WST

SG Americas Securities LLC increased its stake in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST) by 278.4% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 100,909 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after purchasing an additional 74,245 shares during the period. SG Americas Securities LLC’s holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services were worth $27,764,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in WST. Flagship Harbor Advisors LLC raised its position in West Pharmaceutical Services by 3.7% in the third quarter. Flagship Harbor Advisors LLC now owns 1,091 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $286,000 after purchasing an additional 39 shares during the period. NewEdge Wealth LLC boosted its position in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 3.5% during the third quarter. NewEdge Wealth LLC now owns 1,174 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $333,000 after buying an additional 40 shares during the period. RFG Advisory LLC grew its stake in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 2.2% in the third quarter. RFG Advisory LLC now owns 2,233 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $586,000 after buying an additional 47 shares in the last quarter. CX Institutional grew its stake in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 5.4% in the third quarter. CX Institutional now owns 939 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $246,000 after buying an additional 48 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Faithward Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 0.4% in the 3rd quarter. Faithward Advisors LLC now owns 11,855 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $3,110,000 after buying an additional 48 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 93.90% of the company’s stock.

West Pharmaceutical Services Trading Up 0.4%

NYSE:WST opened at $248.12 on Friday. West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. has a 12-month low of $187.43 and a 12-month high of $322.34. The firm has a market cap of $17.88 billion, a PE ratio of 36.54, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.63 and a beta of 1.17. 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 fifty day moving average price of $243.70 and a 200 day moving average price of $261.44.

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

West Pharmaceutical Services declared that its board has approved a stock repurchase program on Tuesday, February 17th that permits the company to buyback $1.00 billion in shares. This buyback authorization permits the medical instruments supplier to reacquire up to 5.6% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are often a sign that the company’s leadership believes its stock is undervalued.

West Pharmaceutical Services Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, May 6th. Investors of record on Wednesday, April 29th will be paid a dividend of $0.22 per share. This represents a $0.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.4%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, April 29th. West Pharmaceutical Services’s dividend payout ratio is presently 12.96%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages recently commented on WST. Zacks Research upgraded West Pharmaceutical Services from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 21st. Jefferies Financial Group reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $295.00 price target on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in a research note on Tuesday, February 10th. Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c)” rating on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in a research report on Friday, January 9th. Evercore lowered their price objective on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services from $390.00 to $320.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, February 3rd. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft restated a “buy” rating and issued a $315.00 price objective on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in a report on Friday, February 13th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have given a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, West Pharmaceutical Services presently has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $314.56.

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.