Welch & Forbes LLC Lowers Position in West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. $WST

Welch & Forbes LLC cut its stake in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST) by 41.9% during the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 4,146 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after selling 2,988 shares during the period. Welch & Forbes LLC’s holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services were worth $907,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the business. Assetmark Inc. lifted its position in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 16.8% in the second quarter. Assetmark Inc. now owns 41,430 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $9,065,000 after acquiring an additional 5,961 shares in the last quarter. World Investment Advisors purchased a new position in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in the second quarter valued at about $347,000. William Allan Corp lifted its position in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 33.2% in the second quarter. William Allan Corp now owns 14,279 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $3,124,000 after acquiring an additional 3,556 shares in the last quarter. Motley Fool Asset Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in the second quarter valued at about $4,716,000. Finally, Fjarde AP Fonden Fourth Swedish National Pension Fund lifted its position in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 25.8% in the second quarter. Fjarde AP Fonden Fourth Swedish National Pension Fund now owns 19,000 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $4,157,000 after acquiring an additional 3,900 shares in the last quarter. 93.90% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

West Pharmaceutical Services Trading Up 1.4%

Shares of NYSE WST opened at $282.43 on Monday. The business’s 50 day moving average is $263.09 and its two-hundred day moving average is $237.46. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.07, a current ratio of 2.87 and a quick ratio of 2.18. West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. has a 1-year low of $187.43 and a 1-year high of $348.90. The stock has a market capitalization of $20.32 billion, a P/E ratio of 41.84, a PEG ratio of 4.09 and a beta of 1.07.

West Pharmaceutical Services (NYSE:WST) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 23rd. The medical instruments supplier reported $1.96 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.67 by $0.29. West Pharmaceutical Services had a return on equity of 18.16% and a net margin of 16.29%.The company had revenue of $804.60 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $788.42 million. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $1.85 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 7.7% on a year-over-year basis. West Pharmaceutical Services has set its FY 2025 guidance at 7.060-7.110 EPS. As a group, research analysts expect that West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. will post 6.62 EPS for the current year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts have recently commented on WST shares. TD Cowen started coverage on West Pharmaceutical Services in a research report on Wednesday, October 29th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $350.00 price objective on the stock. Cowen initiated coverage on West Pharmaceutical Services in a research report on Wednesday. They issued a “buy” rating on the stock. Rothschild Redb upgraded West Pharmaceutical Services to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Monday, September 15th. Zacks Research downgraded West Pharmaceutical Services from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, September 23rd. Finally, Redburn Partners set a $311.00 target price on West Pharmaceutical Services in a research report on Monday, September 15th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have given a Buy rating and four have given a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $349.20.

About West Pharmaceutical Services

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.