Generali Asset Management SPA SGR Increases Holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. $WST

Key Points

• Generali Asset Management SPA SGR increased its stake in West Pharmaceutical Services by 46.6%, now holding 5,350 shares valued at approximately $1.17 million.
• West Pharmaceutical Services has been rated with a consensus of "Moderate Buy" by analysts, with a target price of $321.89, and notable upgrades from several research firms.
• The company announced a quarterly dividend increase to $0.22 per share, marking an annualized yield of 0.3%, set to be paid on November 19th.

Generali Asset Management SPA SGR raised its stake in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST - Free Report) by 46.6% in the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 5,350 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock after buying an additional 1,700 shares during the period. Generali Asset Management SPA SGR's holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services were worth $1,171,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in WST. Zions Bancorporation National Association UT purchased a new stake in West Pharmaceutical Services during the 1st quarter valued at $25,000. Quarry LP purchased a new stake in West Pharmaceutical Services during the 1st quarter valued at $27,000. First Horizon Advisors Inc. raised its stake 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 buying an additional 85 shares during the last quarter. Cromwell Holdings LLC raised its stake in West Pharmaceutical Services by 587.5% during the 2nd quarter. Cromwell Holdings LLC now owns 220 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $48,000 after buying an additional 188 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Brooklyn Investment Group raised its stake in West Pharmaceutical Services by 83.3% during the 1st quarter. Brooklyn Investment Group now owns 275 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $61,000 after buying an additional 125 shares during the last quarter. 93.90% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms have recently commented on WST. Weiss Ratings restated a "hold (c)" rating on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in a research note on Tuesday. Rothschild & Co Redburn began coverage on West Pharmaceutical Services in a research note on Monday, September 15th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $311.00 price objective for the company. Redburn Partners set a $311.00 price objective on West Pharmaceutical Services in a research note on Monday, September 15th. Zacks Research lowered West Pharmaceutical Services from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Tuesday, September 23rd. Finally, Rothschild Redb upgraded West Pharmaceutical Services to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Monday, September 15th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have issued a Buy rating and four have given a Hold rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, West Pharmaceutical Services has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $321.89.

West Pharmaceutical Services Trading Up 1.1%

Shares of West Pharmaceutical Services stock opened at $270.25 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $19.43 billion, a P/E ratio of 40.46, a P/E/G ratio of 4.74 and a beta of 1.07. 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 company has a fifty day moving average of $254.94 and a 200 day moving average of $231.36. 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 earnings results on Thursday, July 24th. The medical instruments supplier reported $1.84 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.51 by $0.33. The company had revenue of $766.50 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $725.11 million. West Pharmaceutical Services had a net margin of 16.48% and a return on equity of 18.43%. West Pharmaceutical Services's quarterly revenue was up 9.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $1.52 EPS. West Pharmaceutical Services has set its FY 2025 guidance at 6.650-6.850 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. will post 6.62 earnings per share for the current fiscal 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 issued a $0.22 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, November 12th. This represents a $0.88 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.3%. This is an increase from West Pharmaceutical Services's previous quarterly dividend of $0.21. West Pharmaceutical Services's payout ratio 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.

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