LTS One Management LP Takes Position in West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. $WST

Key Points

• LTS One Management LP acquired 110,000 shares of West Pharmaceutical Services, valued at approximately $24.6 million, making it the firm's third largest holding.
• Several institutional investors, including BNP Paribas Financial Markets and Champlain Investment Partners LLC, have increased their positions in West Pharmaceutical Services during the first quarter.
• West Pharmaceutical Services recently increased its quarterly dividend from $0.21 to $0.22 per share, reflecting its ongoing commitment to returning value to shareholders with a yield of 0.4%.

LTS One Management LP bought a new position in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST - Free Report) during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor bought 110,000 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock, valued at approximately $24,627,000. West Pharmaceutical Services accounts for 7.4% of LTS One Management LP's holdings, making the stock its 3rd biggest holding. LTS One Management LP owned about 0.15% of West Pharmaceutical Services as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Lansforsakringar Fondforvaltning AB publ lifted its position in West Pharmaceutical Services by 0.5% during the first quarter. Lansforsakringar Fondforvaltning AB publ now owns 24,381 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $5,458,000 after buying an additional 131 shares during the period. BNP Paribas Financial Markets lifted its position in West Pharmaceutical Services by 38.1% during the first quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 242,911 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $54,383,000 after buying an additional 67,012 shares during the period. Champlain Investment Partners LLC lifted its position in West Pharmaceutical Services by 6.0% during the first quarter. Champlain Investment Partners LLC now owns 471,175 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $105,487,000 after buying an additional 26,505 shares during the period. Ieq Capital LLC lifted its position in West Pharmaceutical Services by 44.5% during the first quarter. Ieq Capital LLC now owns 1,020 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $228,000 after buying an additional 314 shares during the period. Finally, Findlay Park Partners LLP lifted its position in West Pharmaceutical Services by 1.4% during the first quarter. Findlay Park Partners LLP now owns 846,206 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $189,449,000 after buying an additional 11,500 shares during the period. 93.90% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

West Pharmaceutical Services Stock Up 0.7%

Shares of NYSE:WST traded up $1.73 during trading on Friday, hitting $247.18. The company's stock had a trading volume of 462,981 shares, compared to its average volume of 536,739. 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, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $187.43 and a fifty-two week high of $352.33. The stock's 50-day moving average price is $234.84 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $222.66. The company has a market capitalization of $17.77 billion, a PE ratio of 37.00, a PEG ratio of 4.38 and a beta of 1.05.

West Pharmaceutical Services (NYSE:WST - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 24th. The medical instruments supplier reported $1.84 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.51 by $0.33. The firm had revenue of $766.50 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $725.11 million. West Pharmaceutical Services had a return on equity of 18.43% and a net margin of 16.48%.West Pharmaceutical Services's quarterly revenue was up 9.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $1.52 earnings per share. West Pharmaceutical Services has set its FY 2025 guidance at 6.650-6.850 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. will post 6.62 EPS for the current year.

West Pharmaceutical Services Increases Dividend

The business 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 represents a $0.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.4%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, November 12th. This is a positive change from West Pharmaceutical Services's previous quarterly dividend of $0.21. West Pharmaceutical Services's payout ratio is currently 12.57%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages have commented on WST. Barclays began coverage on West Pharmaceutical Services in a research note on Tuesday, June 24th. They set an "equal weight" rating and a $245.00 price target for the company. Wall Street Zen upgraded West Pharmaceutical Services from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Saturday, July 26th. UBS Group upped their price target on West Pharmaceutical Services from $285.00 to $320.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, July 25th. Citigroup restated a "buy" rating on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in a research note on Thursday, May 22nd. Finally, Evercore ISI upped their price target on West Pharmaceutical Services from $275.00 to $350.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Friday, July 25th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have issued a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $320.71.

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.