West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. $WST Stock Holdings Lessened by First Hawaiian Bank

Key Points

• First Hawaiian Bank reduced its stake in West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. by 32.7%, selling 1,985 shares during the first quarter, leaving them with 4,092 shares valued at approximately $916,000.
• While First Hawaiian Bank decreased its position, other hedge funds increased their holdings significantly, such as DAVENPORT & Co LLC raising their stake by 103.8%.
• West Pharmaceutical Services recently increased its quarterly dividend to $0.22 per share, reflecting a yield of 0.3% and indicating a positive outlook for the company.

First Hawaiian Bank trimmed its stake in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST - Free Report) by 32.7% in the first quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 4,092 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock after selling 1,985 shares during the quarter. First Hawaiian Bank's holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services were worth $916,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Durable Capital Partners LP raised its stake in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 146.8% during the 1st quarter. Durable Capital Partners LP now owns 1,573,119 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $352,190,000 after buying an additional 935,721 shares in the last quarter. Brown Advisory Inc. increased its position in West Pharmaceutical Services by 28.1% during the first quarter. Brown Advisory Inc. now owns 3,268,478 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $731,747,000 after buying an additional 716,442 shares in the last quarter. Kayne Anderson Rudnick Investment Management LLC increased its position in West Pharmaceutical Services by 57.8% during the first quarter. Kayne Anderson Rudnick Investment Management LLC now owns 997,882 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $223,406,000 after buying an additional 365,575 shares in the last quarter. Nuveen LLC purchased a new position in West Pharmaceutical Services during the first quarter worth $79,255,000. Finally, UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC increased its position in West Pharmaceutical Services by 43.5% during 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 worth $254,038,000 after buying an additional 343,997 shares in the last quarter. 93.90% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts have weighed in on the company. Rothschild Redb raised West Pharmaceutical Services to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Monday. Barclays started coverage on West Pharmaceutical Services in a report on Tuesday, June 24th. They set an "equal weight" rating and a $245.00 price objective on the stock. Redburn Partners set a $311.00 price objective on West Pharmaceutical Services in a report on Monday. Rothschild & Co Redburn started coverage on West Pharmaceutical Services in a report on Monday. They set a "buy" rating and a $311.00 price objective on the stock. Finally, Wall Street Zen upgraded West Pharmaceutical Services from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Saturday, July 26th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have assigned a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Buy" and an average target price of $318.56.

West Pharmaceutical Services Stock Performance

WST stock traded down $3.71 during midday trading on Thursday, reaching $252.93. The company had a trading volume of 203,059 shares, compared to its average volume of 813,826. The company has a quick ratio of 2.08, a current ratio of 2.78 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.07. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $243.13 and a 200 day moving average price of $226.05. The firm has a market capitalization of $18.19 billion, a PE ratio of 37.86, a P/E/G ratio of 4.58 and a beta of 1.05. West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $187.43 and a fifty-two week high of $352.33.

West Pharmaceutical Services (NYSE:WST - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data 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. The business had revenue of $766.50 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $725.11 million. West Pharmaceutical Services had a return on equity of 18.43% and a net margin of 16.48%.The business's revenue was up 9.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $1.52 earnings per share. West Pharmaceutical Services has set its FY 2025 guidance at 6.650-6.850 EPS. Analysts anticipate 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 announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, November 19th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, November 12th will be given a $0.22 dividend. This represents a $0.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.3%. This is a positive change from West Pharmaceutical Services's previous quarterly dividend of $0.21. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, November 12th. West Pharmaceutical Services's payout ratio is currently 12.57%.

About West Pharmaceutical Services

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.