J. Safra Sarasin Holding AG Has $615,000 Position in West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. $WST

J. Safra Sarasin Holding AG lowered its stake in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST) by 4.6% in the second quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 2,809 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after selling 134 shares during the period. J. Safra Sarasin Holding AG’s holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services were worth $615,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the stock. Lecap Asset Management Ltd. acquired a new position in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services during the second quarter valued at about $324,000. Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. increased its stake in West Pharmaceutical Services by 20.0% in the second quarter. Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. now owns 6,698 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $1,466,000 after acquiring an additional 1,117 shares during the period. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC increased its stake in West Pharmaceutical Services by 6.8% in the second quarter. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC now owns 50,631 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $11,078,000 after acquiring an additional 3,212 shares during the period. V Square Quantitative Management LLC increased its stake in West Pharmaceutical Services by 5.1% in the second quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC now owns 2,486 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $544,000 after acquiring an additional 120 shares during the period. Finally, Revisor Wealth Management LLC increased its stake in West Pharmaceutical Services by 10.3% in the second quarter. Revisor Wealth Management LLC now owns 1,547 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $354,000 after acquiring an additional 144 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 93.90% of the company’s stock.

West Pharmaceutical Services Price Performance

Shares of West Pharmaceutical Services stock opened at $272.35 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 2.78, a quick ratio of 2.08 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.07. The stock has a market capitalization of $19.58 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 40.77, a P/E/G ratio of 4.84 and a beta of 1.07. West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. has a 1-year low of $187.43 and a 1-year high of $352.33. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $250.58 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $228.66.

West Pharmaceutical Services (NYSE:WST) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 24th. The medical instruments supplier reported $1.84 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.51 by $0.33. The firm 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 company’s quarterly revenue was up 9.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $1.52 earnings per share. West Pharmaceutical Services has set its FY 2025 guidance at 6.650-6.850 EPS. On average, equities analysts predict that West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. will post 6.62 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

West Pharmaceutical Services Increases Dividend

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

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts recently weighed in on WST shares. Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c-)” rating on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in a research note on Saturday, September 27th. Rothschild Redb raised shares of West Pharmaceutical Services to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Monday, September 15th. Rothschild & Co Redburn started coverage on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in a research note on Monday, September 15th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $311.00 target price on the stock. Zacks Research cut shares of West Pharmaceutical Services from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, September 23rd. Finally, UBS Group upped their target price on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services from $285.00 to $320.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, July 25th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have issued a Buy rating and four have issued a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $321.89.

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.