1,470 Shares in West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. $WST Purchased by Dynamic Technology Lab Private Ltd

Key Points

• Dynamic Technology Lab Private Ltd has acquired 1,470 shares of West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc., valued at approximately $329,000, marking a strategic investment in the medical instruments supplier.
• West Pharmaceutical Services reported strong quarterly earnings, with $1.84 earnings per share, surpassing estimates by $0.33, and revenue of $766.50 million, which increased by 9.2% year-over-year.
• The company announced an increase in its quarterly dividend from $0.21 to $0.22 per share, with a dividend yield of 0.3% and a payout ratio of 12.57%.

Dynamic Technology Lab Private Ltd purchased a new position in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST - Free Report) in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund purchased 1,470 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock, valued at approximately $329,000.

Several other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. UniSuper Management Pty Ltd increased its position in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 20.9% during the first quarter. UniSuper Management Pty Ltd now owns 9,861 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $2,208,000 after purchasing an additional 1,702 shares in the last quarter. Scientech Research LLC purchased a new stake in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services during the first quarter worth approximately $795,000. Polar Asset Management Partners Inc. increased its position 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 in the last quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 20.8% during the first quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 20,655 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $4,624,000 after purchasing an additional 3,554 shares in the last quarter. Finally, MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. boosted its stake in West Pharmaceutical Services by 51.7% during the first quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 14,566 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $3,261,000 after buying an additional 4,961 shares during the last quarter. 93.90% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

West Pharmaceutical Services Trading Down 0.6%

Shares of West Pharmaceutical Services stock traded down $1.51 during trading hours on Thursday, hitting $255.13. The company's stock had a trading volume of 633,520 shares, compared to its average volume of 520,317. West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. has a twelve month low of $187.43 and a twelve month high of $352.33. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $243.64 and a 200-day moving average of $226.24. The stock has a market cap of $18.35 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 38.19, a P/E/G ratio of 4.55 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 announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 24th. The medical instruments supplier reported $1.84 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 for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $725.11 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $1.52 EPS. The company's quarterly revenue was up 9.2% on a year-over-year basis. West Pharmaceutical Services has set its FY 2025 guidance at 6.650-6.850 EPS. Research 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. Investors of record on Wednesday, November 12th will be paid a dividend of $0.22 per share. This represents a $0.88 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.3%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, November 12th. This is a positive change from West Pharmaceutical Services's previous quarterly dividend of $0.21. West Pharmaceutical Services's dividend payout ratio is currently 12.57%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms have weighed in on WST. Rothschild Redb raised West Pharmaceutical Services to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Monday. Wall Street Zen raised West Pharmaceutical Services from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Saturday, July 26th. UBS Group boosted their price objective on West Pharmaceutical Services from $285.00 to $320.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, July 25th. Citigroup reissued a "buy" rating on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in a research note on Thursday, May 22nd. Finally, Redburn Partners set a $311.00 price objective on West Pharmaceutical Services in a research note on Monday. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have assigned a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of "Buy" and a consensus target price of $318.56.

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.