Deutsche Bank AG Boosts Stake in West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST)

Key Points

• Deutsche Bank AG increased its stake in West Pharmaceutical Services by 16.3%, acquiring an additional 42,536 shares, bringing its total ownership to about 0.42% of the company, valued at approximately $67.9 million.
• The recent earnings report showed West Pharmaceutical Services had $1.84 EPS, surpassing analysts' expectations, with revenues of $766.5 million—up 9.2% year-over-year.
• West Pharmaceutical Services declared a quarterly dividend of $0.22, an increase from its previous $0.21, indicating a continued commitment to shareholder returns.

Deutsche Bank AG boosted its position in West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST - Free Report) by 16.3% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 303,369 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock after buying an additional 42,536 shares during the period. Deutsche Bank AG owned approximately 0.42% of West Pharmaceutical Services worth $67,918,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in WST. Cerity Partners LLC raised its holdings in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 1.7% during the fourth quarter. Cerity Partners LLC now owns 5,384 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $1,653,000 after purchasing an additional 90 shares during the period. Bessemer Group Inc. raised its holdings in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 11.8% during the fourth quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. now owns 748 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $245,000 after purchasing an additional 79 shares during the period. Mariner LLC raised its holdings in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 1.6% during the fourth quarter. Mariner LLC now owns 11,666 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $3,821,000 after purchasing an additional 183 shares during the period. XTX Topco Ltd raised its holdings in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 9.7% during the fourth quarter. XTX Topco Ltd now owns 1,167 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $382,000 after purchasing an additional 103 shares during the period. Finally, Canada Post Corp Registered Pension Plan acquired a new position in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services during the fourth quarter valued at about $434,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 93.90% of the company's stock.

West Pharmaceutical Services Stock Performance

WST traded up $0.64 on Friday, hitting $246.84. The company's stock had a trading volume of 379,734 shares, compared to its average volume of 851,817. The company's 50 day simple moving average is $229.61 and its 200-day simple moving average is $230.03. The firm has a market cap of $17.75 billion, a P/E ratio of 36.95, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.36 and a beta of 1.05. West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. has a 12 month low of $187.43 and a 12 month high of $352.33. The company has a quick ratio of 2.08, a current ratio of 2.78 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.07.

West Pharmaceutical Services (NYSE:WST - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, July 24th. The medical instruments supplier reported $1.84 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.51 by $0.33. West Pharmaceutical Services had a net margin of 16.48% and a return on equity of 18.43%. The business had revenue of $766.50 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $725.11 million. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $1.52 EPS. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 9.2% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts forecast that West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. will post 6.62 EPS for the current year.

West Pharmaceutical Services Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, November 19th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, November 12th will be paid a $0.22 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, November 12th. This represents a $0.88 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.4%. This is a boost from West Pharmaceutical Services's previous quarterly dividend of $0.21. West Pharmaceutical Services's dividend payout ratio is currently 12.57%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts have recently commented on WST shares. Wall Street Zen raised shares of West Pharmaceutical Services from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Saturday, July 26th. Barclays started coverage on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in a research report on Tuesday, June 24th. They set an "equal weight" rating and a $245.00 target price for the company. Evercore ISI boosted their target price on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services from $275.00 to $350.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Friday, July 25th. Stephens raised shares of West Pharmaceutical Services to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Monday, April 21st. Finally, Citigroup reissued a "buy" rating on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in a research report on Thursday, May 22nd. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $320.71.

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.