Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund Has $4.54 Million Stake in West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. $WST

Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund cut its stake in West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST) by 11.5% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 18,100 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after selling 2,363 shares during the period. Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund’s holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services were worth $4,537,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Darwin Wealth Management LLC raised its stake in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 10.8% in the 4th quarter. Darwin Wealth Management LLC now owns 410 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $113,000 after purchasing an additional 40 shares during the period. IFM Investors Pty Ltd boosted its position in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 0.3% during the first quarter. IFM Investors Pty Ltd now owns 13,773 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $3,452,000 after buying an additional 43 shares during the period. Aptus Capital Advisors LLC grew its holdings in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 5.5% during the fourth quarter. Aptus Capital Advisors LLC now owns 905 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $249,000 after buying an additional 47 shares in the last quarter. Benjamin Edwards Inc. grew its holdings in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 1.7% during the second quarter. Benjamin Edwards Inc. now owns 3,021 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $661,000 after buying an additional 50 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Smartleaf Asset Management LLC raised its position in West Pharmaceutical Services by 4.6% in the 4th quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 1,207 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $334,000 after buying an additional 53 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 93.90% of the company’s stock.

West Pharmaceutical Services Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE WST opened at $358.77 on Friday. 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 stock has a 50 day moving average price of $332.71 and a 200 day moving average price of $284.80. The stock has a market capitalization of $25.35 billion, a PE ratio of 47.96, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.90 and a beta of 1.16. West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. has a 52 week low of $206.80 and a 52 week high of $367.66.

West Pharmaceutical Services (NYSE:WST) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 23rd. The medical instruments supplier reported $2.13 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.68 by $0.45. The firm had revenue of $844.90 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $779.67 million. West Pharmaceutical Services had a return on equity of 19.03% and a net margin of 16.85%.The business’s quarterly revenue was up 21.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $1.45 EPS. 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. Analysts predict that West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. will post 8.6 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts have commented on WST shares. KeyCorp boosted their target price on West Pharmaceutical Services from $350.00 to $390.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, July 2nd. Barclays raised shares of West Pharmaceutical Services from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and raised their price target for the stock from $310.00 to $400.00 in a research note on Tuesday, June 9th. Citigroup reissued a “buy” rating on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in a research report on Friday, April 24th. Stephens restated an “overweight” rating and set a $360.00 target price on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in a report on Tuesday, June 2nd. Finally, Weiss Ratings raised shares of West Pharmaceutical Services from a “hold (c-)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a research report on Monday, April 27th. Two investment 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 stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $363.17.

Insider Buying and Selling at West Pharmaceutical Services

In other West Pharmaceutical Services news, VP Annette F. Favorite sold 2,817 shares of the company’s 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 sale, the vice president directly owned 16,828 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,135,905.60. This represents a 14.34% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CAO Chad Winters sold 896 shares of the 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 completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer owned 1,523 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $457,920.41. This represents a 37.04% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Corporate insiders own 0.60% of the company’s stock.

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.