Aberdeen Group plc Purchases 2,752 Shares of West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. $WST

Key Points

• Aberdeen Group plc increased its stake in West Pharmaceutical Services by 4.4%, now owning 65,858 shares valued at approximately $14.4 million.
• West Pharmaceutical Services reported $1.84 earnings per share for the last quarter, surpassing analysts' estimates and showing a 9.2% year-over-year revenue growth.
• The company announced a quarterly dividend increase to $0.22 per share, reflecting a dividend yield of 0.3% with a payout ratio of 12.57%.

Aberdeen Group plc lifted its stake in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST - Free Report) by 4.4% during the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 65,858 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock after purchasing an additional 2,752 shares during the quarter. Aberdeen Group plc owned 0.09% of West Pharmaceutical Services worth $14,410,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Grace & White Inc. NY grew its holdings in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 10.6% during the 2nd quarter. Grace & White Inc. NY now owns 45,730 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $10,006,000 after purchasing an additional 4,400 shares during the last quarter. Blue Zone Wealth Advisors LLC grew its holdings in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 2.7% during the 2nd quarter. Blue Zone Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 28,360 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $6,205,000 after purchasing an additional 745 shares during the last quarter. Blue Trust Inc. grew its holdings in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 55.4% during the 2nd quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 289 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $63,000 after purchasing an additional 103 shares during the last quarter. Callan Family Office LLC grew its holdings in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 75.8% during the 2nd quarter. Callan Family Office LLC now owns 3,469 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $759,000 after purchasing an additional 1,496 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Venturi Wealth Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 6.7% during the 2nd quarter. Venturi Wealth Management LLC now owns 3,420 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $748,000 after purchasing an additional 215 shares during the last quarter. 93.90% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

West Pharmaceutical Services Stock Down 0.5%

Shares of NYSE WST opened at $261.22 on Wednesday. The company has a market capitalization of $18.78 billion, a P/E ratio of 39.10, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.66 and a beta of 1.07. West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. has a 52-week low of $187.43 and a 52-week high of $352.33. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.07, a quick ratio of 2.08 and a current ratio of 2.78. The company's 50 day moving average price is $253.32 and its 200-day moving average price is $230.50.

West Pharmaceutical Services (NYSE:WST - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 24th. The medical instruments supplier reported $1.84 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.51 by $0.33. The firm had revenue of $766.50 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate 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 revenue for the quarter was up 9.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $1.52 EPS. West Pharmaceutical Services has set its FY 2025 guidance at 6.650-6.850 EPS. Equities analysts forecast that West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. will post 6.62 earnings per share for the current year.

West Pharmaceutical Services Increases Dividend

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

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages recently issued reports on WST. Evercore ISI set a $350.00 price target on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in a report on Tuesday, October 7th. Rothschild Redb raised shares of West Pharmaceutical Services to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Monday, September 15th. Wall Street Zen raised shares of West Pharmaceutical Services from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Saturday, July 26th. Redburn Partners set a $311.00 target price on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in a report on Monday, September 15th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reissued a "hold (c)" rating on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in a report on Tuesday. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have issued a Buy rating and four have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target 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.

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