Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc. Invests $15.32 Million in West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. $WST

Key Points

• Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc. acquired 68,411 shares of West Pharmaceutical Services valued at approximately $15.3 million, representing about 0.10% ownership of the company.
• West Pharmaceutical Services reported earnings of $1.84 per share, exceeding estimates, with a revenue increase of 9.2% year-over-year to $766.5 million.
• The company recently announced a quarterly dividend increase to $0.22 per share, reflecting a modest dividend yield of 0.4%.

Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST - Free Report) during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund purchased 68,411 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock, valued at approximately $15,316,000. Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc. owned about 0.10% of West Pharmaceutical Services at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in WST. Boston Trust Walden Corp increased its stake in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 4.7% during the first quarter. Boston Trust Walden Corp now owns 1,110 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $249,000 after acquiring an additional 50 shares during the period. Nissay Asset Management Corp Japan ADV increased its stake in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 0.6% during the fourth quarter. Nissay Asset Management Corp Japan ADV now owns 9,318 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $3,105,000 after acquiring an additional 55 shares during the period. Formidable Asset Management LLC increased its stake in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 2.7% during the fourth quarter. Formidable Asset Management LLC now owns 2,067 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $677,000 after acquiring an additional 55 shares during the period. Sumitomo Mitsui DS Asset Management Company Ltd increased its stake in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 0.7% during the first quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui DS Asset Management Company Ltd now owns 7,887 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $1,766,000 after acquiring an additional 57 shares during the period. Finally, Horizon Investments LLC increased its stake in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 5.8% during the first quarter. Horizon Investments LLC now owns 1,048 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $234,000 after acquiring an additional 57 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 93.90% of the company's stock.

West Pharmaceutical Services Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:WST traded up $3.54 on Wednesday, hitting $255.58. 821,384 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 822,053. The firm has a market capitalization of $18.38 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 38.26, a PEG ratio of 4.49 and a beta of 1.05. The company's 50 day moving average price is $238.89 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $224.65. West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. has a one year low of $187.43 and a one year high of $352.33. 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 (NYSE:WST - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, July 24th. The medical instruments supplier reported $1.84 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.51 by $0.33. The business had revenue of $766.50 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations 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 revenue for the quarter was up 9.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter 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. Research analysts expect 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 disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, November 19th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, November 12th will be paid a dividend of $0.22 per share. This is a positive change from West Pharmaceutical Services's previous quarterly dividend of $0.21. This represents a $0.88 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.3%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, November 12th. West Pharmaceutical Services's payout ratio is currently 13.17%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts recently commented on the stock. Citigroup reiterated a "buy" rating on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in a research note on Thursday, May 22nd. UBS Group raised their price objective on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services from $285.00 to $320.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, July 25th. Barclays started coverage on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in a research report on Tuesday, June 24th. They issued an "equal weight" rating and a $245.00 price target on the stock. 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. Finally, Evercore ISI lifted their price objective on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services from $275.00 to $350.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Friday, July 25th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have given a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $320.71.

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.