Cresset Asset Management LLC Has $6.40 Million Stock Holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. $WST

Key Points

• Cresset Asset Management LLC increased its stake in West Pharmaceutical Services by 3.7% in the first quarter, now owning 28,570 shares valued at approximately $6.40 million.
• West Pharmaceutical Services reported earnings of $1.84 per share for the most recent quarter, surpassing analysts' expectations and showing a revenue increase of 9.2% year-over-year.
• The company announced a quarterly dividend increase to $0.22, reflecting an annualized payout of $0.88 and a yield of 0.4%, scheduled for payment on November 19th.

Cresset Asset Management LLC lifted its holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST - Free Report) by 3.7% during the first quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 28,570 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock after purchasing an additional 1,022 shares during the period. Cresset Asset Management LLC's holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services were worth $6,396,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Zions Bancorporation National Association UT bought a new position in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in the first quarter worth about $25,000. First Horizon Advisors Inc. increased its stake in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 85.0% in the first quarter. First Horizon Advisors Inc. now owns 185 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $41,000 after purchasing an additional 85 shares during the period. Opal Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new position in West Pharmaceutical Services during the first quarter valued at about $53,000. Whipplewood Advisors LLC increased its stake in West Pharmaceutical Services by 248.0% during the first quarter. Whipplewood Advisors LLC now owns 261 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $58,000 after acquiring an additional 186 shares during the period. Finally, Exchange Traded Concepts LLC increased its stake in West Pharmaceutical Services by 38.5% during the first quarter. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC now owns 331 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $74,000 after acquiring an additional 92 shares during the period. 93.90% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

WST has been the topic of several research reports. Barclays initiated coverage on West Pharmaceutical Services in a research note on Tuesday, June 24th. They set an "equal weight" rating and a $245.00 price target on the stock. Evercore ISI boosted their price target 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. Wall Street Zen upgraded West Pharmaceutical Services from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Saturday, July 26th. UBS Group boosted their price target on West Pharmaceutical Services from $285.00 to $320.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, July 25th. Finally, Citigroup restated a "buy" rating on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in a research note on Thursday, May 22nd. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have issued a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, West Pharmaceutical Services presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $320.71.

West Pharmaceutical Services Price Performance

Shares of WST stock traded up $4.94 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $247.57. The company had a trading volume of 303,764 shares, compared to its average volume of 843,062. West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. has a 12 month low of $187.43 and a 12 month high of $352.33. The firm has a market capitalization of $17.80 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 37.06, a PEG ratio of 4.37 and a beta of 1.05. The firm's fifty day moving average is $231.62 and its 200 day moving average is $226.71. 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 released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 24th. The medical instruments supplier reported $1.84 earnings per share 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 company had revenue of $766.50 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $725.11 million. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $1.52 EPS. The company's 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. On average, sell-side analysts predict that West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. will post 6.62 EPS for the current fiscal year.

West Pharmaceutical Services Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared 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 is a boost from West Pharmaceutical Services's previous quarterly dividend of $0.21. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, November 12th. This represents a $0.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.4%. West Pharmaceutical Services's dividend payout ratio is currently 12.57%.

West Pharmaceutical Services Company 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.