Burt Wealth Advisors Invests $4.17 Million in West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. $WST

Key Points

• Burt Wealth Advisors invested approximately $4.17 million in West Pharmaceutical Services by purchasing 19,063 shares, making it the firm's 21st largest holding.
• West Pharmaceutical Services reported a 9.2% year-over-year revenue increase to $766.50 million, with earnings per share (EPS) surpassing analysts' expectations at $1.84.
• The company announced a quarterly dividend increase to $0.22, with a projected annualized yield of 0.3%, reflecting positive financial health.

Burt Wealth Advisors purchased a new position in West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST - Free Report) in the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund purchased 19,063 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock, valued at approximately $4,171,000. West Pharmaceutical Services comprises about 1.0% of Burt Wealth Advisors' holdings, making the stock its 21st largest holding.

Other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Dynamic Technology Lab Private Ltd bought a new stake in West Pharmaceutical Services in the first quarter valued at about $329,000. DAVENPORT & Co LLC raised its position in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 103.8% during the 1st quarter. DAVENPORT & Co LLC now owns 2,230 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $499,000 after acquiring an additional 1,136 shares in the last quarter. Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. lifted its stake in West Pharmaceutical Services by 34.7% during the first quarter. Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. now owns 5,581 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $1,249,000 after purchasing an additional 1,437 shares during the last quarter. Polar Asset Management Partners Inc. raised its holdings in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 106.5% during the first quarter. Polar Asset Management Partners Inc. now owns 53,070 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $11,881,000 after purchasing an additional 27,370 shares during the period. Finally, First National Bank Sioux Falls boosted its holdings in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 121.4% in the 2nd quarter. First National Bank Sioux Falls now owns 4,727 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $1,034,000 after buying an additional 2,592 shares during the period. 93.90% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms have issued reports on WST. Evercore ISI raised their target price on West Pharmaceutical Services from $275.00 to $350.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Friday, July 25th. Redburn Partners set a $311.00 price objective on West Pharmaceutical Services in a research report on Monday, September 15th. Barclays initiated coverage on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in a research note on Tuesday, June 24th. They issued an "equal weight" rating and a $245.00 price target for the company. UBS Group boosted their target price on West Pharmaceutical Services from $285.00 to $320.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, July 25th. Finally, Rothschild & Co Redburn began coverage on West Pharmaceutical Services in a research note on Monday, September 15th. They set a "buy" rating and a $311.00 target price for the company. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have given a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of "Buy" and an average target price of $318.56.

West Pharmaceutical Services Trading Down 0.1%

WST stock traded down $0.29 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $254.69. 1,297,599 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 534,419. West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. has a one year low of $187.43 and a one year high of $352.33. The stock's fifty day moving average price is $244.20 and its 200-day moving average price is $226.44. The company has a market cap of $18.31 billion, a PE ratio of 38.13, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.52 and a beta of 1.05. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.07, a quick ratio of 2.08 and a current ratio of 2.78.

West Pharmaceutical Services (NYSE:WST - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 24th. The medical instruments supplier reported $1.84 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.51 by $0.33. West Pharmaceutical Services had a return on equity of 18.43% and a net margin of 16.48%.The business had revenue of $766.50 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $725.11 million. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $1.52 EPS. West Pharmaceutical Services's quarterly revenue was up 9.2% compared to the same quarter last year. West Pharmaceutical Services has set its FY 2025 guidance at 6.650-6.850 EPS. Research 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 announced 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. This is an increase from West Pharmaceutical Services's previous quarterly dividend of $0.21. This represents a $0.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.3%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, November 12th. West Pharmaceutical Services's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 12.57%.

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.