1,391 Shares in West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. $WST Acquired by MBB Public Markets I LLC

Key Points

• MBB Public Markets I LLC acquired 1,391 shares of West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. valued at approximately $311,000 in the first quarter.
• West Pharmaceutical recently reported an earnings per share (EPS) of $1.84, exceeding analysts' expectations of $1.51, and forecasted a FY 2025 EPS guidance of 6.650-6.850.
• The company announced an increase in its quarterly dividend from $0.21 to $0.22, with the next payment scheduled for November 19th, reflecting a 0.3% yield.

MBB Public Markets I LLC purchased a new position in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST - Free Report) in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor purchased 1,391 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock, valued at approximately $311,000.

Several other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of WST. Baird Financial Group Inc. raised its position in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 9.3% during the 4th quarter. Baird Financial Group Inc. now owns 2,220 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $727,000 after purchasing an additional 188 shares during the last quarter. Focus Partners Wealth raised its holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services by 5.1% in the 4th quarter. Focus Partners Wealth now owns 5,086 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $1,666,000 after acquiring an additional 248 shares during the last quarter. OMERS ADMINISTRATION Corp raised its holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services by 20.0% in the 4th quarter. OMERS ADMINISTRATION Corp now owns 3,078 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $1,008,000 after acquiring an additional 513 shares during the last quarter. Nuveen Asset Management LLC raised its holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services by 1.7% in the 4th quarter. Nuveen Asset Management LLC now owns 625,879 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $205,013,000 after acquiring an additional 10,367 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Nan Shan Life Insurance Co. Ltd. raised its holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services by 34.6% in the 4th quarter. Nan Shan Life Insurance Co. Ltd. now owns 115,810 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $37,935,000 after acquiring an additional 29,800 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 93.90% of the company's stock.

West Pharmaceutical Services Trading Up 0.2%

Shares of NYSE WST traded up $0.46 during midday trading on Tuesday, reaching $257.99. 77,916 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 816,962. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $241.77 and a 200 day simple moving average of $225.61. The stock has a market capitalization of $18.55 billion, a P/E ratio of 38.56, a PEG ratio of 4.50 and a beta of 1.05. 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 twelve month low of $187.43 and a twelve month high of $352.33.

West Pharmaceutical Services (NYSE:WST - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 24th. The medical instruments supplier reported $1.84 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.51 by $0.33. The firm had revenue of $766.50 million during 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 quarterly revenue was up 9.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $1.52 EPS. West Pharmaceutical Services has set its FY 2025 guidance at 6.650-6.850 EPS. As a group, equities analysts expect that West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. will post 6.62 earnings per share for the current year.

West Pharmaceutical Services Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, November 19th. Investors 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 0.3%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, November 12th. This is an increase from West Pharmaceutical Services's previous quarterly dividend of $0.21. West Pharmaceutical Services's dividend payout ratio is 12.57%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts have commented on the stock. Rothschild Redb upgraded shares of West Pharmaceutical Services to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Monday. 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 objective for the company. UBS Group increased their price objective on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services from $285.00 to $320.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, July 25th. Citigroup reiterated a "buy" rating on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in a report on Thursday, May 22nd. Finally, Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of West Pharmaceutical Services from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Saturday, July 26th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have assigned a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of "Buy" and a consensus price target of $318.56.

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.