Findlay Park Partners LLP Boosts Position in West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. $WST

Key Points

• Findlay Park Partners LLP increased its position in West Pharmaceutical Services by 1.4%, acquiring an additional 11,500 shares during the first quarter, bringing its total to 846,206 shares worth approximately $189 million.
• West Pharmaceutical Services recently reported earnings of $1.84 per share, exceeding analyst expectations, with revenue of $766.50 million, representing a 9.2% increase compared to the same quarter last year.
• The company announced a quarterly dividend increase from $0.21 to $0.22 per share, with a projected annual yield of 0.4%, and the dividend will be payable on November 19th.

Findlay Park Partners LLP lifted its position in West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST - Free Report) by 1.4% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 846,206 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock after purchasing an additional 11,500 shares during the period. West Pharmaceutical Services comprises approximately 1.9% of Findlay Park Partners LLP's portfolio, making the stock its 21st biggest holding. Findlay Park Partners LLP owned about 1.18% of West Pharmaceutical Services worth $189,449,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Zions Bancorporation National Association UT purchased a new stake in West Pharmaceutical Services in the first quarter worth $25,000. First Horizon Advisors Inc. boosted its position in West Pharmaceutical Services by 85.0% during the 1st quarter. First Horizon Advisors Inc. now owns 185 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $41,000 after acquiring an additional 85 shares in the last quarter. Opal Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new stake in West Pharmaceutical Services during the 1st quarter valued at approximately $53,000. Whipplewood Advisors LLC raised its holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services by 248.0% in the first quarter. Whipplewood Advisors LLC now owns 261 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $58,000 after purchasing an additional 186 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Brooklyn Investment Group raised its holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services by 83.3% in the first quarter. Brooklyn Investment Group now owns 275 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $61,000 after purchasing an additional 125 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 93.90% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts have issued reports on the company. Wall Street Zen upgraded West Pharmaceutical Services from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Saturday, July 26th. UBS Group increased their price objective on West Pharmaceutical Services from $285.00 to $320.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, July 25th. Barclays began coverage on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in a research note on Tuesday, June 24th. They issued an "equal weight" rating and a $245.00 price target on the stock. Citigroup restated a "buy" rating on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in a research note on Thursday, May 22nd. Finally, Evercore ISI raised their price objective on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services from $275.00 to $350.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Friday, July 25th. One investment 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 company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, West Pharmaceutical Services currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $320.71.

West Pharmaceutical Services Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:WST traded down $0.37 during midday trading on Thursday, reaching $245.60. 784,142 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 546,816. The company has a market cap of $17.66 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 36.77, a P/E/G ratio of 4.36 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, Inc. has a one year low of $187.43 and a one year high of $352.33. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $234.22 and a 200 day moving average of $223.87.

West Pharmaceutical Services (NYSE:WST - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 24th. The medical instruments supplier reported $1.84 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.51 by $0.33. The company had revenue of $766.50 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $725.11 million. West Pharmaceutical Services had a return on equity of 18.43% and a net margin of 16.48%.West Pharmaceutical Services's revenue for the quarter was up 9.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $1.52 earnings per share. West Pharmaceutical Services has set its FY 2025 guidance at 6.650-6.850 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. will post 6.62 EPS for the current fiscal year.

West Pharmaceutical Services Increases Dividend

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

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.