West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE: WST) is a healthcare company that designs and manufactures containment and delivery systems for injectable drugs used by pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies worldwide. Shares recently traded around $276 per share, giving the company a market value of roughly $19.9B.
West Pharmaceutical Services has grown into a critical partner for biologics and complex injectable therapies. Looking at who owns West Pharmaceutical Services and how insiders have traded helps show how large investors appear to be positioning around the stock today.
Who Are West Pharmaceutical Services’ Top Shareholders?
West Pharmaceutical Services’ shareholder base is led by large institutional investors that tend to hold through market cycles, which can help provide long term ownership stability. Active managers adjusted positions in both directions, suggesting a mix of conviction and valuation discipline.
- The Vanguard Group: 9,671,950 shares (13.44%), $2.67B value. Added 388,144 shares (+4.18%).
- BlackRock Institutional Trust Company: 3,794,356 shares (5.27%), $1.05B value. Added 6,712 shares (+0.18%).
- State Street Investment Management: 3,207,911 shares (4.46%), $886.7M value. Cut 63,955 shares (1.95%).
- Artisan Partners Limited Partnership: 2,770,920 shares (3.85%), $765.9M value. Added 503,601 shares (+22.21%).
- Brown Advisory: 2,498,082 shares (3.47%), $690.5M value. Cut 523,201 shares (17.32%).
- Walter Scott & Partners Ltd.: 1,932,390 shares (2.69%), $534.1M value. Cut 267,712 shares (12.17%).
- Geode Capital Management: 1,857,124 shares (2.58%), $513.3M value. Added 24,120 shares (+1.32%).
- VanEck Associates Corporation: 1,424,879 shares (1.98%), $393.8M value. Cut 61,308 shares (4.13%).
- APG Asset Management: 1,413,698 shares (1.97%), $390.7M value. Cut 244,966 shares (14.77%).
- Durable Capital Partners: 1,172,583 shares (1.63%), $324.1M value. Added 131,935 shares (+12.68%).
For investors, the combination of stable ownership from passive managers and mixed positioning from active funds suggests confidence in West Pharmaceutical Services’ long term business, alongside some caution around valuation at current levels.
Hedge Fund Highlights
One notable move last quarter came from Citadel Advisors, founded by Ken Griffin, which increased its position in West Pharmaceutical Services by about 465%. The firm now holds roughly $191M value of the stock, which appears to be a meaningful increase as shares traded below prior highs.
Another large increase came from AQR Capital Management, founded by Cliff Asness, which boosted its position by roughly 420% to a stake valued at approximately $143M. The move suggests AQR may be leaning more positively on West’s longer term fundamentals and cash flow profile.
Point72 Asset Management, led by Steven Cohen, also raised its exposure, increasing holdings by nearly 94% to about $173M value. While notable, the position remains a modest portion of the firm’s overall portfolio.
Dimensional Fund Advisors, founded by David Booth, increased its holdings by around 21%, bringing its West Pharmaceutical Services position to just under $100M value, which looks more like steady accumulation than aggressive positioning.
For investors, hedge fund activity appears selective rather than broad based, pointing to growing interest without a clear consensus trade forming.
Track the top shareholders of over 50,000 global stocks (It’s free) >>>
West Pharmaceutical Services’ Recent Insider Trades
Insider transactions can offer context into how executives and directors may be managing personal exposure. Recent filings for West Pharmaceutical Services show only small transactions that do not materially change ownership.
- Robert W. McMahon (Director): Sold shares across multiple transactions on 8/10/25, totaling between $200K and $3.5M.
- Janet Brutschea Haugen (Director): Sold approximately $13K on 9/29/25 and $16K on 6/29/25.
- Shane Alden Campbell (Director): Sold shares across several transactions on 5/11/25 totaling roughly $100K to $160K.
These trades are very small relative to West Pharmaceutical Services’ roughly 72M shares outstanding and do not materially shift insider ownership. It appears these transactions may be administrative or tied to personal portfolio management, though that cannot be confirmed.
See recent insider trade data for over 50,000 global stocks (It’s free) >>>
What the Ownership & Insider Trade Data Tell Us
West Pharmaceutical Services’ ownership remains anchored by large institutional investors, providing a stable shareholder base. Active managers show mixed positioning, with some adding exposure and others trimming, suggesting different views on valuation rather than a change in confidence in the underlying business.
Insider activity appears limited and small in scale, offering little directional signal on its own. For investors, the data suggests continued confidence in West Pharmaceutical Services’ role in injectable drug manufacturing, paired with a measured approach as the stock trades well above prior lows.
Value Any Stock in Under 60 Seconds (It’s Free)
With TIKR’s new Valuation Model tool, you can estimate a stock’s potential share price in under a minute.
All it takes is three simple inputs:
- Revenue Growth
- Operating Margins
- Exit P/E Multiple
From there, TIKR calculates the potential share price and total returns under Bull, Base, and Bear scenarios so you can quickly see whether a stock looks undervalued or overvalued.
If you’re not sure what to enter, TIKR automatically fills in each input using analysts’ consensus estimates, giving you a quick, reliable starting point.
See a stock’s true value in under 60 seconds (Free with TIKR) >>>
