Inspire Investing LLC Cuts Stake in West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. $WST

Key Points

• Inspire Investing LLC has reduced its shareholding in West Pharmaceutical Services by 20.7%, now owning 8,603 shares valued at approximately $1.93 million.
• West Pharmaceutical Services has seen significant interest from institutional investors, with 93.90% of the company's stock held by them, indicating strong market confidence.
• The company has recently increased its quarterly dividend to $0.22 per share, reflecting a rise from the previous $0.21, with a current yield of 0.3%.

Inspire Investing LLC reduced its position in West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST - Free Report) by 20.7% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 8,603 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock after selling 2,240 shares during the quarter. Inspire Investing LLC's holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services were worth $1,926,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its stake in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 2.7% during the 1st quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 9,231,721 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $2,066,798,000 after purchasing an additional 244,259 shares during the period. Brown Advisory Inc. grew its stake in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 28.1% during the 1st quarter. Brown Advisory Inc. now owns 3,268,478 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $731,747,000 after purchasing an additional 716,442 shares during the period. Durable Capital Partners LP grew 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 purchasing an additional 935,721 shares during the period. APG Asset Management N.V. grew its stake in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 8.7% during the 1st quarter. APG Asset Management N.V. now owns 1,562,139 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $323,766,000 after purchasing an additional 124,737 shares during the period. Finally, UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC grew its stake in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 43.5% during the 1st 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 purchasing an additional 343,997 shares during the period. 93.90% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Barclays assumed coverage on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in a research note on Tuesday, June 24th. They set an "equal weight" rating and a $245.00 price target on the stock. Citigroup reaffirmed a "buy" rating on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in a research note on Thursday, May 22nd. Redburn Partners set a $311.00 price target on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in a research note on Monday. Evercore ISI upped their price target on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services from $275.00 to $350.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Friday, July 25th. Finally, Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of West Pharmaceutical Services from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Saturday, July 26th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have given a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $318.56.

West Pharmaceutical Services Trading Up 1.7%

NYSE:WST traded up $4.23 on Monday, reaching $257.73. The stock had a trading volume of 542,348 shares, compared to its average volume of 536,439. The company has a market cap of $18.53 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 38.58, a P/E/G ratio of 4.50 and a beta of 1.05. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.07, a current ratio of 2.78 and a quick ratio of 2.08. The firm's fifty day moving average is $241.77 and its two-hundred day moving average is $225.61. West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. has a 12-month low of $187.43 and a 12-month high of $352.33.

West Pharmaceutical Services (NYSE:WST - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Thursday, July 24th. The medical instruments supplier reported $1.84 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.51 by $0.33. The company had revenue of $766.50 million for 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 firm's quarterly revenue was up 9.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $1.52 EPS. West Pharmaceutical Services has set its FY 2025 guidance at 6.650-6.850 EPS. Equities analysts expect that West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. will post 6.62 EPS 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. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, November 12th will be issued a $0.22 dividend. This is a positive change from West Pharmaceutical Services's previous quarterly dividend of $0.21. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, November 12th. This represents a $0.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.3%. 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.