Inspire Investing LLC Sells 2,240 Shares of West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. $WST

Inspire Investing LLC lessened its stake in West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST) by 20.7% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 8,603 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after selling 2,240 shares during the period. Inspire Investing LLC’s holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services were worth $1,926,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Zions Bancorporation National Association UT bought a new position in West Pharmaceutical Services during the first quarter worth about $25,000. Quarry LP bought a new position in West Pharmaceutical Services during the first quarter worth about $27,000. First Horizon Advisors Inc. lifted its stake in West Pharmaceutical Services by 85.0% during the first quarter. First Horizon Advisors Inc. now owns 185 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $41,000 after purchasing an additional 85 shares during the period. Opal Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new position in West Pharmaceutical Services during the first quarter worth about $53,000. Finally, Whipplewood Advisors LLC lifted its stake in West Pharmaceutical Services by 248.0% during the first quarter. Whipplewood Advisors LLC now owns 261 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $58,000 after purchasing an additional 186 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 93.90% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages have commented on WST. Citigroup restated a “buy” rating on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in a research note on Thursday, May 22nd. Barclays initiated coverage on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in a report on Tuesday, June 24th. They set an “equal weight” rating and a $245.00 price objective for the company. Evercore ISI raised their price target on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services from $275.00 to $350.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, July 25th. Wall Street Zen raised shares of West Pharmaceutical Services from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Saturday, July 26th. Finally, UBS Group increased their target price on West Pharmaceutical Services from $285.00 to $320.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, July 25th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have assigned a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, West Pharmaceutical Services has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $320.71.

West Pharmaceutical Services Trading Down 3.9%

WST opened at $253.50 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $18.23 billion, a P/E ratio of 37.95, a P/E/G ratio of 4.68 and a beta of 1.05. West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. has a 12 month low of $187.43 and a 12 month high of $352.33. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $241.04 and its 200 day simple moving average is $225.38. The company has a current ratio of 2.78, a quick ratio of 2.08 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.07.

West Pharmaceutical Services (NYSE:WST) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 24th. The medical instruments supplier reported $1.84 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.51 by $0.33. The business had revenue of $766.50 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $725.11 million. West Pharmaceutical Services had a net margin of 16.48% and a return on equity of 18.43%. The firm’s revenue was up 9.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $1.52 EPS. West Pharmaceutical Services has set its FY 2025 guidance at 6.650-6.850 EPS. As a group, research analysts anticipate that West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. will post 6.62 EPS for the current fiscal year.

West Pharmaceutical Services Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, November 19th. Investors of record on Wednesday, November 12th will be given a $0.22 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, November 12th. This represents a $0.88 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.3%. This is an increase from West Pharmaceutical Services’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.21. West Pharmaceutical Services’s payout ratio is presently 12.57%.

West Pharmaceutical Services Profile

West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc designs, manufactures, and sells containment and delivery systems for injectable drugs and healthcare products in the Americas, Europe, the Middle East, Africa, and the Asia Pacific. It operates in two segments, Proprietary Products and Contract-Manufactured Products.