Riverbridge Partners LLC Has $87.66 Million Stake in West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. $WST

Riverbridge Partners LLC cut its holdings in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST) by 12.1% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 318,613 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after selling 43,927 shares during the quarter. West Pharmaceutical Services comprises 1.6% of Riverbridge Partners LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its 19th biggest holding. Riverbridge Partners LLC owned 0.44% of West Pharmaceutical Services worth $87,663,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Empowered Funds LLC lifted its holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services by 16.1% during the 1st quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 1,611 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $361,000 after purchasing an additional 224 shares during the last quarter. Intech Investment Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 27.7% in the first quarter. Intech Investment Management LLC now owns 6,020 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $1,348,000 after purchasing an additional 1,307 shares during the last quarter. Acadian Asset Management LLC raised its position in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 14.1% in the first quarter. Acadian Asset Management LLC now owns 1,271 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $284,000 after purchasing an additional 157 shares during the period. American Century Companies Inc. raised its position in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 0.8% in the second quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 373,431 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $81,707,000 after purchasing an additional 3,121 shares during the period. Finally, Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. lifted its stake in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 2.1% during the 2nd quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 502,354 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $109,915,000 after buying an additional 10,527 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 93.90% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts recently commented on WST shares. Zacks Research raised shares of West Pharmaceutical Services from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 21st. Morgan Stanley started coverage on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in a research report on Monday, December 1st. They set an “equal weight” rating and a $285.00 price objective for the company. Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in a report on Friday, January 9th. Evercore decreased their target price on West Pharmaceutical Services from $390.00 to $320.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, February 3rd. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $295.00 target price on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in a research note on Tuesday, February 10th. 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. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $314.56.

West Pharmaceutical Services Trading Up 0.4%

WST stock opened at $248.12 on Friday. West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. has a 52 week low of $187.43 and a 52 week high of $322.34. The company has a market capitalization 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’s 50-day simple moving average is $243.70 and its 200 day simple moving average is $261.44. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.06, a quick ratio of 2.34 and a current ratio of 3.02.

West Pharmaceutical Services (NYSE:WST) last issued its quarterly earnings data 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. West Pharmaceutical Services had a net margin of 16.06% and a return on equity of 17.90%. The business had revenue of $805.00 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $795.70 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $1.82 EPS. The business’s revenue was up 7.5% on a year-over-year basis. West Pharmaceutical Services has set its FY 2026 guidance at 7.850-8.200 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. will post 6.62 earnings per share for the current year.

West Pharmaceutical Services Announces Dividend

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

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

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.