Dynamic Technology Lab Private Ltd Acquires New Shares in West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. $WST

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 acquired a new stake in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST - Free Report) in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm acquired 1,470 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock, valued at approximately $329,000.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. UniSuper Management Pty Ltd boosted its position in 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 valued at $2,208,000 after purchasing an additional 1,702 shares during the last quarter. Scientech Research LLC acquired a new stake in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in the first quarter worth about $795,000. Polar Asset Management Partners Inc. lifted its position in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 106.5% in 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 buying an additional 27,370 shares during the last quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 20.8% in the first quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 20,655 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $4,624,000 after buying an additional 3,554 shares during the last quarter. Finally, MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. lifted its position in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 51.7% in 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. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 93.90% of the company's stock.

West Pharmaceutical Services Trading Down 3.9%

West Pharmaceutical Services stock opened at $253.50 on Friday. West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. has a 52 week low of $187.43 and a 52 week high of $352.33. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.07, a quick ratio of 2.08 and a current ratio of 2.78. The firm has a market capitalization of $18.23 billion, a PE ratio of 37.95, a PEG ratio of 4.68 and a beta of 1.05. The business's 50-day simple moving average is $241.04 and its 200-day simple moving average is $225.38.

West Pharmaceutical Services (NYSE:WST - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results 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 firm had revenue of $766.50 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $725.11 million. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $1.52 earnings per share. The company'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. Equities research analysts forecast that West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. will post 6.62 earnings per share for the current year.

West Pharmaceutical Services Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared 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 is a positive change from West Pharmaceutical Services's previous quarterly dividend of $0.21. This represents a $0.88 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.3%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, November 12th. West Pharmaceutical Services's dividend payout ratio is presently 12.57%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts have weighed in on WST shares. Wall Street Zen raised West Pharmaceutical Services from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Saturday, July 26th. UBS Group boosted their price target on West Pharmaceutical Services from $285.00 to $320.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, July 25th. Evercore ISI boosted their price target on West Pharmaceutical Services from $275.00 to $350.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Friday, July 25th. Barclays started coverage on West Pharmaceutical Services in a research report on Tuesday, June 24th. They issued an "equal weight" rating and a $245.00 price target for the company. Finally, Citigroup reaffirmed a "buy" rating on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in a research report 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 given a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $320.71.

West Pharmaceutical Services 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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