Fifth Third Bancorp Purchases 55,934 Shares of West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. $WST

Fifth Third Bancorp boosted its holdings in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST) by 594.3% during the first quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 65,346 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after buying an additional 55,934 shares during the period. Fifth Third Bancorp’s holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services were worth $16,378,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Darwin Wealth Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 10.8% during the 4th quarter. Darwin Wealth Management LLC now owns 410 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $113,000 after acquiring an additional 40 shares during the period. IFM Investors Pty Ltd increased its stake in West Pharmaceutical Services by 0.3% in the first quarter. IFM Investors Pty Ltd now owns 13,773 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $3,452,000 after acquiring an additional 43 shares during the period. Aptus Capital Advisors LLC increased its stake in West Pharmaceutical Services by 5.5% in the fourth quarter. Aptus Capital Advisors LLC now owns 905 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $249,000 after acquiring an additional 47 shares during the period. Faithward Advisors LLC raised its position in West Pharmaceutical Services by 0.4% in the third quarter. Faithward Advisors LLC now owns 11,855 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $3,110,000 after purchasing an additional 48 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Benjamin Edwards Inc. raised its position in West Pharmaceutical Services by 1.7% in the second quarter. Benjamin Edwards Inc. now owns 3,021 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $661,000 after purchasing an additional 50 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 93.90% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts have weighed in on the company. Citigroup reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in a report on Friday, April 24th. KeyCorp increased 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. Barclays upgraded West Pharmaceutical Services from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and raised their target price for the stock from $310.00 to $400.00 in a research report on Tuesday, June 9th. Morgan Stanley upped their price target on West Pharmaceutical Services from $325.00 to $365.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Thursday, July 9th. Finally, Wolfe Research initiated coverage on West Pharmaceutical Services in a research note on Monday, June 1st. They set an “outperform” rating and a $375.00 price objective for the company. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have given a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, West Pharmaceutical Services currently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $363.17.

West Pharmaceutical Services Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:WST opened at $358.18 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.07, a quick ratio of 2.04 and a current ratio of 2.71. The firm has a market cap of $25.31 billion, a PE ratio of 47.88, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.01 and a beta of 1.16. West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. has a twelve month low of $206.80 and a twelve month high of $367.66. The business has a fifty day moving average of $330.36 and a 200-day moving average of $283.09.

West Pharmaceutical Services (NYSE:WST) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, April 23rd. The medical instruments supplier reported $2.13 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.68 by $0.45. The company had revenue of $844.90 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $779.67 million. West Pharmaceutical Services had a net margin of 16.85% and a return on equity of 19.03%. West Pharmaceutical Services’s quarterly revenue was up 21.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $1.45 earnings per share. West Pharmaceutical Services has set its FY 2026 guidance at 8.400-8.750 EPS and its Q2 2026 guidance at 2.050-2.120 EPS. On average, equities research analysts predict that West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. will post 8.6 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity

In other West Pharmaceutical Services news, VP Annette F. Favorite sold 2,817 shares of West Pharmaceutical Services stock in a transaction on Monday, April 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $305.20, for a total transaction of $859,748.40. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president owned 16,828 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,135,905.60. The trade was a 14.34% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CAO Chad Winters sold 896 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, April 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $300.67, for a total transaction of $269,400.32. Following the sale, the chief accounting officer owned 1,523 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $457,920.41. The trade was a 37.04% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders own 0.60% of the company’s stock.

West Pharmaceutical Services 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.