Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. Sells 3,336 Shares of West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. $WST

Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. reduced its holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST) by 1.9% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 172,780 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after selling 3,336 shares during the quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc.’s holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services were worth $43,306,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors have also bought and sold shares of the business. Empowered Funds LLC boosted its stake in West Pharmaceutical Services by 16.1% in the first quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 1,611 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $361,000 after purchasing an additional 224 shares in the last quarter. Intech Investment Management LLC increased its stake 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 buying an additional 1,307 shares in the last quarter. Acadian Asset Management LLC raised its holdings 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 buying an additional 157 shares during the last quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its position in West Pharmaceutical Services by 78.2% during the 2nd quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 449 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $98,000 after buying an additional 197 shares in the last quarter. Finally, First Trust Advisors LP lifted its position in West Pharmaceutical Services by 168.4% during the 2nd quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 46,332 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $10,137,000 after buying an additional 29,067 shares in the last quarter. 93.90% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts have weighed in on the stock. KeyCorp raised their price objective on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services from $350.00 to $390.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, July 2nd. Wolfe Research started coverage on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in a research note on Monday, June 1st. They set an “outperform” rating and a $375.00 price target on the stock. Stephens reissued an “overweight” rating and issued a $360.00 price target on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in a report on Tuesday, June 2nd. Barclays upgraded shares of West Pharmaceutical Services from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and boosted their price objective for the stock from $310.00 to $400.00 in a research report on Tuesday, June 9th. Finally, Evercore reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $410.00 price objective on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in a report on Monday, July 6th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have issued a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, West Pharmaceutical Services has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $355.55.

West Pharmaceutical Services Stock Performance

Shares of WST stock opened at $353.69 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.07, a quick ratio of 2.04 and a current ratio of 2.71. West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. has a 52 week low of $206.80 and a 52 week high of $367.66. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $328.15 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $281.94. The company has a market capitalization of $24.99 billion, a P/E ratio of 47.28, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.96 and a beta of 1.16.

West Pharmaceutical Services (NYSE:WST) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 23rd. The medical instruments supplier reported $2.13 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.68 by $0.45. West Pharmaceutical Services had a net margin of 16.85% and a return on equity of 19.03%. The company had revenue of $844.90 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $779.67 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $1.45 earnings per share. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 21.0% compared to the same quarter last year. 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. On average, analysts expect that West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. will post 8.6 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CAO Chad Winters sold 896 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, April 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $300.67, for a total value of $269,400.32. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer directly owned 1,523 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $457,920.41. This represents a 37.04% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, VP Annette F. Favorite sold 2,817 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, April 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $305.20, for a total value of $859,748.40. Following the transaction, the vice president owned 16,828 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,135,905.60. This trade represents a 14.34% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. 0.60% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

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.