West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. $WST Shares Sold by ProShare Advisors LLC

ProShare Advisors LLC lessened its position in West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST) by 20.6% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 474,984 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after selling 123,040 shares during the period. ProShare Advisors LLC owned about 0.67% of West Pharmaceutical Services worth $176,105,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Vise Technologies Inc. raised its position in West Pharmaceutical Services by 58.9% during the third quarter. Vise Technologies Inc. now owns 2,210 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $819,000 after acquiring an additional 819 shares in the last quarter. MGO One Seven LLC boosted its stake in West Pharmaceutical Services by 7.3% in the third quarter. MGO One Seven LLC now owns 1,872 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $694,000 after buying an additional 127 shares in the last quarter. Choreo LLC increased its stake in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 13.8% in the third quarter. Choreo LLC now owns 1,796 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $666,000 after buying an additional 218 shares during the period. Interchange Capital Partners LLC increased its position in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 11.4% during the third quarter. Interchange Capital Partners LLC now owns 804 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $298,000 after buying an additional 82 shares during the period. Finally, D.A. Davidson & CO. boosted its stake in West Pharmaceutical Services by 4.1% during the third quarter. D.A. Davidson & CO. now owns 909 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $337,000 after acquiring an additional 36 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 93.90% of the company’s stock.

Key Stories Impacting West Pharmaceutical Services

Here are the key news stories impacting West Pharmaceutical Services this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Q3 results exceeded expectations: West reported adjusted earnings of $2.66 per share, above the $2.20 consensus estimate, while revenue rose 8.7% year over year to $874.5 million, surpassing the $827.1 million forecast. West Reports Third-Quarter 2026 Results
• Positive Sentiment: Higher 2026 outlook: Management raised full-year revenue guidance to $3.41 billion-$3.42 billion from $3.345 billion-$3.380 billion and lifted adjusted EPS guidance to $9.38-$9.48 from $8.85-$9.05. West Pharmaceutical Services Raises Annual Outlook
• Positive Sentiment: Strong high-value product demand: High-Value Product Components sales increased 19.7% and accounted for 53% of quarterly sales, supporting margin expansion and confidence in the company’s growth mix. West Pharma Q3 Earnings Rise on HVP Strength
• Positive Sentiment: Barclays raised its price target to $500 from $440 and maintained an “overweight” rating, implying additional upside based on the referenced share price. Barclays Raises West Pharmaceutical Price Target
• Neutral Sentiment: Institutional positioning was mixed, with several large funds adding shares while others reduced or exited positions. Recent insider activity also showed sales rather than purchases, though these transactions may not reflect the company’s operating outlook.
• Negative Sentiment: Valuation remains a risk after the rally, with the stock trading at a high earnings multiple. One analysis also cautioned that declining cash flow may leave the shares overvalued if earnings growth moderates. West Stock Could Be Overvalued

West Pharmaceutical Services Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:WST opened at $412.73 on Friday. West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. has a one year low of $223.83 and a one year high of $438.27. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $367.76 and a 200-day simple moving average of $313.21. The stock has a market capitalization of $29.05 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 46.32, a PEG ratio of 2.73 and a beta of 1.13. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.07, a quick ratio of 2.12 and a current ratio of 2.82.

West Pharmaceutical Services (NYSE:WST) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 29th. The medical instruments supplier reported $2.66 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.20 by $0.46. The firm had revenue of $874.50 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $827.12 million. West Pharmaceutical Services had a net margin of 18.81% and a return on equity of 21.78%. The firm’s revenue was up 8.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $1.96 EPS. On average, analysts predict that West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. will post 9.46 EPS for the current year.

West Pharmaceutical Services Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, November 18th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, November 11th will be issued a dividend of $0.26 per share. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, November 10th. This represents a $1.04 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.3%. This is a boost from West Pharmaceutical Services’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.22. West Pharmaceutical Services’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 9.88%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. TD Cowen increased their price target on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services from $420.00 to $500.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday. BNP Paribas Exane assumed coverage on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in a report on Monday, July 13th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $447.00 target price on the stock. Wall Street Zen upgraded West Pharmaceutical Services from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Sunday. Morgan Stanley raised West Pharmaceutical Services from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and raised their price objective for the company from $365.00 to $400.00 in a research report on Tuesday, September 22nd. Finally, Evercore reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $425.00 price objective on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in a research note on Monday, July 27th. Twelve analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, West Pharmaceutical Services presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $409.67.

Insider Activity at West Pharmaceutical Services

In other West Pharmaceutical Services news, VP Annette Favorite sold 8,135 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, September 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $340.81, for a total value of $2,772,489.35. Following the sale, the vice president directly owned 16,845 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $5,740,944.45. This trade represents a 32.57% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Insiders sold 15,659 shares of company stock worth $5,443,749 over the last three months. 0.60% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

About West Pharmaceutical Services

West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc develops and manufactures components and delivery systems used in the administration and packaging of injectable medicines and other healthcare products. Its offerings include elastomer closures, seals, syringe components, drug-delivery systems, and other specialized packaging components designed to support the safety, quality, and performance of pharmaceutical products.

The company also provides contract-manufacturing services for pharmaceutical, biotechnology, and medical-device customers.