Generation Investment Management LLP Purchases New Stake in West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. $WST

Generation Investment Management LLP bought a new stake in West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST) during the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm bought 2,028,322 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock, valued at approximately $728,168,000. West Pharmaceutical Services accounts for about 7.1% of Generation Investment Management LLP’s portfolio, making the stock its 5th largest holding.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Elyxium Wealth LLC acquired a new position in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services during the fourth quarter worth $25,000. CYBER HORNET ETFs LLC acquired a new position in West Pharmaceutical Services in the second quarter worth about $25,000. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC increased its holdings in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 90.9% in the 1st quarter. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC now owns 105 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $26,000 after acquiring an additional 50 shares during the last quarter. Bayban bought a new stake in West Pharmaceutical Services during the fourth quarter valued at $27,000. Finally, Private Trust Co. NA raised its stake in West Pharmaceutical Services by 156.4% during the fourth quarter. Private Trust Co. NA now owns 100 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $28,000 after acquiring an additional 61 shares during the period. 93.90% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

West Pharmaceutical Services Price Performance

NYSE WST opened at $352.32 on Thursday. The company has a quick ratio of 2.12, a current ratio of 2.82 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.07. West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. has a 12-month low of $223.83 and a 12-month high of $386.00. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $347.64 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $298.51. The stock has a market capitalization of $24.80 billion, a PE ratio of 45.11, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.42 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 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.08 by $0.29. The firm had revenue of $872.30 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $839.98 million. West Pharmaceutical Services had a net margin of 16.98% and a return on equity of 20.11%. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 13.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $1.84 earnings per share. 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. As a group, equities analysts predict 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. Investors of record on Wednesday, July 29th were issued a dividend of $0.22 per share. This represents a $0.88 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.2%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, July 29th. West Pharmaceutical Services’s dividend payout ratio is currently 11.27%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts have weighed in on the company. Evercore reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and issued a $425.00 target price on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in a research report on Monday, July 27th. KeyCorp boosted their target price on West Pharmaceutical Services from $350.00 to $390.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, July 2nd. TD Cowen reissued a “buy” rating on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in a report on Wednesday, July 15th. Weiss Ratings upgraded West Pharmaceutical Services from a “hold (c)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a research report on Friday, August 7th. Finally, Barclays raised shares of West Pharmaceutical Services from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and upped their price objective for the company from $310.00 to $400.00 in a research note on Tuesday, June 9th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have given a Buy rating and three have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $368.08.

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.