West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. $WST Shares Sold by Ninety One UK Ltd

Ninety One UK Ltd decreased its holdings in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST) by 2.7% during the third quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 97,918 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after selling 2,707 shares during the period. Ninety One UK Ltd’s holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services were worth $25,687,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in WST. SYM FINANCIAL Corp boosted its stake in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 5.1% in the second quarter. SYM FINANCIAL Corp now owns 1,027 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $225,000 after buying an additional 50 shares during the last quarter. Benjamin Edwards Inc. increased its stake in West Pharmaceutical Services by 1.7% during the 2nd 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. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust raised its stake in West Pharmaceutical Services by 4.0% in the 2nd quarter. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust now owns 1,318 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $288,000 after purchasing an additional 51 shares during the last quarter. MJP Associates Inc. ADV boosted its position in West Pharmaceutical Services by 2.7% during the second quarter. MJP Associates Inc. ADV now owns 1,970 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $431,000 after acquiring an additional 52 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Pallas Capital Advisors LLC boosted its stake in West Pharmaceutical Services by 1.0% during the second quarter. Pallas Capital Advisors LLC now owns 6,333 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $1,386,000 after buying an additional 62 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 93.90% of the company’s stock.

West Pharmaceutical Services Stock Down 0.5%

West Pharmaceutical Services stock opened at $275.53 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $19.82 billion, a P/E ratio of 40.82, a P/E/G ratio of 4.11 and a beta of 1.17. The company has a current ratio of 2.87, a quick ratio of 2.18 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.07. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $274.54 and its 200-day simple moving average is $255.38. West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. has a 1-year low of $187.43 and a 1-year high of $348.90.

West Pharmaceutical Services (NYSE:WST) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 23rd. The medical instruments supplier reported $1.96 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.67 by $0.29. West Pharmaceutical Services had a net margin of 16.29% and a return on equity of 18.16%. The business had revenue of $804.60 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $788.42 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $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. Sell-side analysts forecast that West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. will post 6.62 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

West Pharmaceutical Services Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, February 4th. Investors of record on Wednesday, January 28th will be given a $0.22 dividend. This represents a $0.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.3%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, January 28th. West Pharmaceutical Services’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 13.04%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages have recently issued reports on WST. TD Cowen initiated coverage on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in a research report on Wednesday, October 29th. They set a “buy” rating and a $350.00 price target on the stock. Rothschild & Co Redburn assumed coverage on West Pharmaceutical Services in a research report on Monday, September 15th. They set a “buy” rating and a $311.00 target price on the stock. Redburn Partners set a $311.00 target price on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in a research note on Monday, September 15th. Barclays upped their price objective on West Pharmaceutical Services from $275.00 to $325.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Monday, October 27th. Finally, UBS Group raised their price objective on West Pharmaceutical Services from $320.00 to $355.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, October 24th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have given a Buy rating and four have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $342.20.

West Pharmaceutical Services Profile

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.