Local Pensions Partnership Investment Ltd Has $33.27 Million Holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. $WST

Local Pensions Partnership Investment Ltd lessened its position in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST) by 4.4% in the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm owned 120,880 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after selling 5,500 shares during the quarter. West Pharmaceutical Services accounts for approximately 0.6% of Local Pensions Partnership Investment Ltd’s portfolio, making the stock its 26th biggest holding. Local Pensions Partnership Investment Ltd’s holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services were worth $33,269,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its position in West Pharmaceutical Services by 4.2% during the 3rd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 9,704,948 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $2,545,899,000 after purchasing an additional 388,144 shares during the period. State Street Corp raised its position in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 2.1% in the 2nd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 3,271,866 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $715,884,000 after acquiring an additional 68,330 shares in the last quarter. Artisan Partners Limited Partnership raised its position in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 22.2% in the 3rd quarter. Artisan Partners Limited Partnership now owns 2,770,920 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $726,895,000 after acquiring an additional 503,601 shares in the last quarter. Durable Capital Partners LP raised its position in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 12.7% in the 3rd quarter. Durable Capital Partners LP now owns 1,172,583 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $307,604,000 after acquiring an additional 131,935 shares in the last quarter. Finally, TD Asset Management Inc raised its position in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 26.1% in the 3rd quarter. TD Asset Management Inc now owns 606,332 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $159,059,000 after acquiring an additional 125,398 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 93.90% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Wall Street Zen raised West Pharmaceutical Services from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Saturday, December 20th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $315.00 price target on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in a research note on Friday, February 13th. Jefferies Financial Group reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $295.00 price target on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in a research note on Tuesday, February 10th. Barclays boosted their price target on West Pharmaceutical Services from $265.00 to $275.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 14th. Finally, UBS Group reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $340.00 price target on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in a research note on Friday, February 13th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have given a Buy rating and four have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, West Pharmaceutical Services has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $315.67.

West Pharmaceutical Services Price Performance

Shares of WST opened at $273.71 on Friday. West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. has a 52-week low of $199.89 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 business’s 50 day moving average price is $248.91 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $261.70. The firm has a market cap of $19.73 billion, a PE ratio of 40.31, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.87 and a beta of 1.15.

West Pharmaceutical Services (NYSE:WST) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 12th. The medical instruments supplier reported $2.04 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.83 by $0.21. The firm had revenue of $805.00 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $795.70 million. West Pharmaceutical Services had a return on equity of 17.90% and a net margin of 16.06%.The company’s quarterly revenue was up 7.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $1.82 earnings per share. West Pharmaceutical Services has set its FY 2026 guidance at 7.850-8.200 EPS. On average, equities analysts anticipate that West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. will post 6.62 EPS for the current year.

West Pharmaceutical Services Announces Dividend

The company 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 currently 12.96%.

West Pharmaceutical Services announced that its board has approved a stock buyback plan on Tuesday, February 17th that permits the company to buyback $1.00 billion in shares. This buyback authorization permits the medical instruments supplier to buy up to 5.6% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback plans are usually an indication that the company’s leadership believes its stock is undervalued.

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.