West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. $WST Shares Acquired by NewEdge Advisors LLC

Key Points

• NewEdge Advisors LLC increased its stake in West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. by 20.8% during the first quarter, owning 20,655 shares worth approximately $4.6 million.
• Wall Street analysts have a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" for West Pharmaceutical Services, with an average price target of $320.71.
• The company recently announced a quarterly dividend increase from $0.21 to $0.22, with a dividend yield of 0.3% and a low dividend payout ratio of 12.57%.

NewEdge Advisors LLC grew its holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST - Free Report) by 20.8% during the first quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 20,655 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock after purchasing an additional 3,554 shares during the quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC's holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services were worth $4,624,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the business. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its stake in West Pharmaceutical Services by 2.7% in 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 in the last quarter. Brown Advisory Inc. lifted its stake in West Pharmaceutical Services by 28.1% in 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 in the last quarter. Durable Capital Partners LP lifted its stake in West Pharmaceutical Services by 146.8% in 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 in the last quarter. APG Asset Management N.V. lifted its stake in West Pharmaceutical Services by 8.7% in 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 in the last quarter. Finally, Kayne Anderson Rudnick Investment Management LLC raised its position in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 57.8% during the 1st quarter. Kayne Anderson Rudnick Investment Management LLC now owns 997,882 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $223,406,000 after buying an additional 365,575 shares during the period. 93.90% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts have recently commented on WST shares. Barclays started coverage on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in a research report on Tuesday, June 24th. They set an "equal weight" rating and a $245.00 price target on the stock. Evercore ISI lifted their price target on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services from $275.00 to $350.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Friday, July 25th. Citigroup reaffirmed a "buy" rating on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in a research report on Thursday, May 22nd. UBS Group lifted their price target on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services from $285.00 to $320.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, July 25th. Finally, Wall Street Zen raised shares of West Pharmaceutical Services from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Saturday, July 26th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have given a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $320.71.

West Pharmaceutical Services Trading Down 3.9%

NYSE WST traded down $10.24 on Friday, reaching $253.50. The stock had a trading volume of 746,173 shares, compared to its average volume of 538,180. The firm has a market capitalization of $18.23 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 37.95, a P/E/G ratio of 4.68 and a beta of 1.05. The company has a quick ratio of 2.08, a current ratio of 2.78 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.07. West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. has a 12-month low of $187.43 and a 12-month high of $352.33. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $241.04 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $225.38.

West Pharmaceutical Services (NYSE:WST - Get Free Report) last announced 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 return on equity of 18.43% and a net margin of 16.48%.The firm's quarterly revenue was up 9.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter 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 forecast 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 given a $0.22 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, November 12th. This is a positive change from West Pharmaceutical Services's previous quarterly dividend of $0.21. This represents a $0.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.3%. West Pharmaceutical Services's dividend payout ratio is presently 13.17%.

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.