MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. Raises Position in West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. $WST

Key Points

• MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. increased its stake in West Pharmaceutical Services by 51.7% in the first quarter, owning 14,566 shares worth approximately $3.26 million.
• Multiple institutional investors have boosted their holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services, with 93.90% of the stock owned by hedge funds and institutional entities.
• West Pharmaceutical Services reported $1.84 EPS for the last quarter, exceeding expectations by $0.33, and increased its quarterly dividend from $0.21 to $0.22 per share.

MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. lifted its stake in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST - Free Report) by 51.7% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 14,566 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock after purchasing an additional 4,961 shares during the period. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd.'s holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services were worth $3,261,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC boosted its holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services by 34.5% in the 1st quarter. Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC now owns 3,287 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $736,000 after buying an additional 844 shares during the period. Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc. bought a new position in West Pharmaceutical Services in the 1st quarter worth approximately $15,316,000. Edmond DE Rothschild Holding S.A. boosted its holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services by 41.9% in the 1st quarter. Edmond DE Rothschild Holding S.A. now owns 322 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $72,000 after buying an additional 95 shares during the period. Curi RMB Capital LLC boosted its holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services by 0.6% in the 1st quarter. Curi RMB Capital LLC now owns 73,151 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $16,377,000 after buying an additional 408 shares during the period. Finally, Unisphere Establishment boosted its holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services by 49.0% in the 1st quarter. Unisphere Establishment now owns 29,500 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $6,604,000 after buying an additional 9,700 shares during the period. 93.90% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

West Pharmaceutical Services Price Performance

Shares of West Pharmaceutical Services stock traded down $1.51 on Thursday, hitting $255.13. 633,520 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 520,317. The firm's 50-day simple moving average is $243.64 and its 200 day simple moving average is $226.24. The company has a current ratio of 2.78, a quick ratio of 2.08 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.07. The company has a market cap of $18.35 billion, a P/E ratio of 38.19, a P/E/G ratio of 4.55 and a beta of 1.05. 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 posted 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 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 business'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. Analysts expect that West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. will post 6.62 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

West Pharmaceutical Services Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed 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. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, November 12th. This represents a $0.88 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.3%. West Pharmaceutical Services's dividend payout ratio is 12.57%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts recently commented on the stock. Evercore ISI raised their price objective on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services from $275.00 to $350.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Friday, July 25th. UBS Group raised their price objective on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services from $285.00 to $320.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, July 25th. Barclays started 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. Wall Street Zen raised shares of West Pharmaceutical Services from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Saturday, July 26th. Finally, Rothschild Redb raised shares of West Pharmaceutical Services to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Monday. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have given a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, West Pharmaceutical Services presently has a consensus rating of "Buy" and a consensus price target of $318.56.

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.