Cwm LLC Boosts Stake in West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. $WST

Key Points

• Cwm LLC increased its stake in West Pharmaceutical Services by 58.3%, owning 2,340 shares valued at approximately $512,000 as of the latest SEC filing.
• Several institutional investors, including Vanguard Group and Brown Advisory, have also significantly raised their positions in West Pharmaceutical Services during the first quarter.
• Analysts have provided a generally positive outlook on the company, with recent upgrades from brokerages such as UBS Group, increasing the price target from $320 to $355.

Cwm LLC raised its holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST - Free Report) by 58.3% during the second quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 2,340 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock after purchasing an additional 862 shares during the quarter. Cwm LLC's holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services were worth $512,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its position in West Pharmaceutical Services by 2.7% in the first quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 9,231,721 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $2,066,798,000 after purchasing an additional 244,259 shares during the period. Brown Advisory Inc. grew its stake in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 28.1% in the first quarter. Brown Advisory Inc. now owns 3,268,478 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $731,747,000 after buying an additional 716,442 shares in the last quarter. Durable Capital Partners LP grew its stake in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 146.8% in the first quarter. Durable Capital Partners LP now owns 1,573,119 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $352,190,000 after buying an additional 935,721 shares in the last quarter. APG Asset Management N.V. grew its stake in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 8.7% in the first quarter. APG Asset Management N.V. now owns 1,562,139 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $323,766,000 after buying an additional 124,737 shares in the last quarter. Finally, UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC grew its stake in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 43.5% in the first quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC now owns 1,134,706 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $254,038,000 after buying an additional 343,997 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 93.90% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages have recently weighed in on WST. UBS Group lifted 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. Rothschild & Co Redburn began coverage on West Pharmaceutical Services in a research note on Monday, September 15th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $311.00 price objective for the company. Wall Street Zen raised West Pharmaceutical Services from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Saturday, July 26th. Evercore ISI lifted their price objective on West Pharmaceutical Services from $350.00 to $390.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Thursday. Finally, Zacks Research cut West Pharmaceutical Services from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Tuesday, September 23rd. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have assigned a Buy rating and four have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, West Pharmaceutical Services currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $343.56.

West Pharmaceutical Services Price Performance

Shares of NYSE WST opened at $298.13 on Friday. The stock's 50-day moving average is $259.30 and its two-hundred day moving average is $234.13. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.07, a current ratio of 2.87 and a quick ratio of 2.08. West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. has a 1-year low of $187.43 and a 1-year high of $348.90. The company has a market cap of $21.44 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 44.17, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 5.11 and a beta of 1.07.

West Pharmaceutical Services (NYSE:WST - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results 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 the consensus estimate of $788.42 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $1.85 EPS. West Pharmaceutical Services's revenue 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. Analysts forecast that West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. will post 6.62 EPS for the current fiscal year.

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.

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