Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. Has $48.46 Million Holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. $WST

Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. lessened its holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST) by 6.6% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 176,116 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after selling 12,379 shares during the period. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc.’s holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services were worth $48,457,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of WST. Empowered Funds LLC lifted its stake in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 16.1% in 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 lifted its stake in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 27.7% in the 1st 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 lifted its stake in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 14.1% in the 1st 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 last quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its stake in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 78.2% in the 2nd quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 449 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $98,000 after purchasing an additional 197 shares during the last quarter. Finally, First Trust Advisors LP raised its holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services by 168.4% in the 2nd quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 46,332 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $10,137,000 after acquiring an additional 29,067 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 93.90% of the company’s stock.

West Pharmaceutical Services Stock Performance

NYSE:WST opened at $266.45 on Thursday. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $247.67 and its 200-day moving average is $261.55. West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. has a 52-week low of $193.05 and a 52-week high of $322.34. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.06, a quick ratio of 2.34 and a current ratio of 3.02. The company has a market cap of $19.21 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 39.24, a PEG ratio of 2.85 and a beta of 1.15.

West Pharmaceutical Services (NYSE:WST) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 12th. The medical instruments supplier reported $2.04 earnings per share (EPS) 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 company had revenue of $805.00 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $795.70 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $1.82 EPS. The business’s revenue was up 7.5% compared to the same quarter last year. West Pharmaceutical Services has set its FY 2026 guidance at 7.850-8.200 EPS. Equities research analysts anticipate that West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. will post 6.62 earnings per share for the current year.

West Pharmaceutical Services declared that its board has initiated a stock repurchase 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 believes its stock is undervalued.

West Pharmaceutical Services Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, May 6th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, April 29th will be issued a dividend of $0.22 per share. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, April 29th. This represents a $0.88 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.3%. West Pharmaceutical Services’s payout ratio is presently 12.96%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages recently commented on WST. Jefferies Financial Group reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $295.00 target price on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in a report on Tuesday, February 10th. Evercore dropped their target price on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services from $390.00 to $320.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, February 3rd. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in a report on Friday, January 9th. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of West Pharmaceutical Services from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Saturday, December 20th. Finally, UBS Group reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $340.00 target price on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in a report on Friday, February 13th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have assigned a Buy rating and three 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 $315.67.

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.