West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. $WST Position Boosted by Goldman Sachs Group Inc.

Key Points

• Goldman Sachs Group Inc. increased its holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services by 17.9%, accumulating a total of 603,733 shares valued at approximately $135 million.
• West Pharmaceutical Services recently reported an earnings per share of $1.84, surpassing analyst expectations and indicating a year-over-year revenue increase of 9.2%.
• The company announced a dividend increase to $0.22 per share, up from $0.21, reflecting its commitment to returning value to shareholders.

Goldman Sachs Group Inc. grew its holdings in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST - Free Report) by 17.9% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 603,733 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock after buying an additional 91,707 shares during the quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. owned 0.84% of West Pharmaceutical Services worth $135,164,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Zions Bancorporation National Association UT acquired a new position in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services during the first quarter worth $25,000. Quarry LP acquired a new position in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services during the first quarter worth $27,000. First Horizon Advisors Inc. lifted its position in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 85.0% during the first quarter. First Horizon Advisors Inc. now owns 185 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $41,000 after purchasing an additional 85 shares in the last quarter. Opal Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services during the first quarter worth $53,000. Finally, 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 valued at $58,000 after acquiring an additional 186 shares in the last quarter. 93.90% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Citigroup reaffirmed a "buy" rating on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in a report on Thursday, May 22nd. Wall Street Zen raised shares of West Pharmaceutical Services from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Saturday, July 26th. Rothschild & Co Redburn assumed coverage on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in a report on Monday. They issued a "buy" rating and a $311.00 price target on the stock. Barclays assumed coverage on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in a report on Tuesday, June 24th. They issued an "equal weight" rating and a $245.00 price target on the stock. Finally, Evercore ISI upped their price target on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services from $275.00 to $350.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Friday, July 25th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have issued a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $319.50.

West Pharmaceutical Services Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:WST traded up $4.23 on Monday, reaching $257.73. 542,348 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 821,229. The firm has a market capitalization of $18.53 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 38.58, a PEG ratio of 4.50 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. The business's 50-day moving average is $241.04 and its two-hundred day moving average is $225.44. The company has a quick ratio of 2.08, a current ratio of 2.78 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.07.

West Pharmaceutical Services (NYSE:WST - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 24th. The medical instruments supplier reported $1.84 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 analyst estimates of $725.11 million. West Pharmaceutical Services had a net margin of 16.48% and a return on equity of 18.43%. The company's quarterly revenue was up 9.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm 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 forecast that West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. will post 6.62 EPS 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. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, November 12th will be given a dividend of $0.22 per share. This is an increase from West Pharmaceutical Services's previous quarterly dividend of $0.21. This represents a $0.88 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.3%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, November 12th. West Pharmaceutical Services's payout ratio is currently 12.57%.

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.