Motley Fool Asset Management LLC Sells 8,878 Shares of West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. $WST

Motley Fool Asset Management LLC lowered its position in West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST) by 51.1% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 8,494 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after selling 8,878 shares during the quarter. Motley Fool Asset Management LLC’s holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services were worth $3,149,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in WST. Hanseatic Management Services Inc. bought a new stake in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services during the 3rd quarter valued at about $605,000. VestGen Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in the third quarter worth approximately $235,000. Generali Asset Management SPA SGR increased its position in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 10.4% in the third quarter. Generali Asset Management SPA SGR now owns 2,948 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $1,093,000 after purchasing an additional 277 shares during the last quarter. Oppenheimer & Co. Inc. increased its position in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 9.8% in the third quarter. Oppenheimer & Co. Inc. now owns 4,969 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $1,842,000 after purchasing an additional 443 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Signaturefd LLC raised its stake in West Pharmaceutical Services by 26.9% in the third quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 1,194 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $443,000 after purchasing an additional 253 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 93.90% of the company’s stock.

West Pharmaceutical Services News Roundup

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

• Positive Sentiment: West reported third-quarter sales of $874.5 million, up 8.7% year over year and well above the $827.1 million analyst consensus. Adjusted diluted EPS was $2.66, compared with expectations of approximately $2.18-$2.20 and $1.96 in the prior-year quarter. West Reports Third-Quarter 2026 Results
• Positive Sentiment: The company raised its full-year 2026 net-sales guidance to $3.41 billion-$3.42 billion, from $3.345 billion-$3.380 billion previously. Adjusted diluted EPS guidance increased to $9.38-$9.48, versus the prior range of $8.85-$9.05. West Pharmaceutical Services Raises Annual Outlook
• Positive Sentiment: High-Value Product Components sales rose 19.7% and represented 53% of quarterly revenue. The mix shift supported margin expansion and reinforced investor confidence in demand for West’s specialized injectable and pharmaceutical packaging components. West Pharma Q3 Earnings Rise on HVP Strength
• Neutral Sentiment: Management’s earnings-call commentary emphasized continued operating execution and portfolio strength, while the outlook implies further growth but also leaves the stock dependent on sustained demand and margin performance. West Pharmaceutical Services Q3 2026 Earnings Call Transcript
• Negative Sentiment: Valuation remains a potential constraint: WST trades at a high earnings multiple, while a recent analysis argued that cash flow does not fully support the current valuation. In addition, reported insider activity showed selling without purchases during the past six months. West Stock Could Be Overvalued

West Pharmaceutical Services Stock Up 3.2%

Shares of NYSE WST opened at $416.55 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 debt-to-equity ratio of 0.07, a current ratio of 2.82 and a quick ratio of 2.12. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $366.60 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $312.50. The stock has a market capitalization of $29.32 billion, a P/E ratio of 53.34, a PEG ratio of 2.83 and a beta of 1.13.

West Pharmaceutical Services (NYSE:WST) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 29th. The medical instruments supplier reported $2.66 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.20 by $0.46. West Pharmaceutical Services had a net margin of 16.98% and a return on equity of 20.11%. The firm had revenue of $874.50 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $827.12 million. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $1.96 EPS. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 8.7% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, analysts expect that West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. will post 8.92 EPS for the current fiscal year.

West Pharmaceutical Services Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, November 18th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, November 11th will be given a dividend of $0.26 per share. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, November 10th. This is a positive change from West Pharmaceutical Services’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.22. This represents a $1.04 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.2%. West Pharmaceutical Services’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 11.27%.

Insider Transactions at West Pharmaceutical Services

In other news, VP Annette Favorite sold 2,524 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, September 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $365.00, for a total transaction of $921,260.00. Following the transaction, the vice president directly owned 21,818 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $7,963,570. This trade represents a 10.37% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders have sold 15,659 shares of company stock worth $5,443,749 in the last ninety days. Corporate insiders own 0.60% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages have issued reports on WST. Zacks Research lowered shares of West Pharmaceutical Services from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 12th. Morgan Stanley raised shares of West Pharmaceutical Services from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and increased their price target for the stock from $365.00 to $400.00 in a report on Tuesday, September 22nd. Barclays increased their price target on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services from $400.00 to $440.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 7th. Evercore restated an “outperform” rating and set a $425.00 price objective on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in a research report on Monday, July 27th. Finally, TD Cowen lifted their price objective on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services from $410.00 to $420.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 13th. Twelve research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $391.17.

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.