Nomura Holdings Inc. Buys 2,652 Shares of West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. $WST

Key Points

• Nomura Holdings Inc. increased its stake in West Pharmaceutical Services by 111.3%, bringing their total shares to 5,034, valued at approximately $1,127,000.
• West Pharmaceutical Services reported a quarterly EPS of $1.84, exceeding analysts' expectations of $1.51, along with a revenue of $766.50 million, a 9.2% increase year-over-year.
• The company declared a quarterly dividend increase to $0.22, up from $0.21, with a record date for shareholders of November 12th.

Nomura Holdings Inc. raised its stake in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST - Free Report) by 111.3% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 5,034 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock after purchasing an additional 2,652 shares during the period. Nomura Holdings Inc.'s holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services were worth $1,127,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of WST. Boston Trust Walden Corp lifted its stake in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 4.7% during the 1st quarter. Boston Trust Walden Corp now owns 1,110 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $249,000 after purchasing an additional 50 shares during the last quarter. Nissay Asset Management Corp Japan ADV grew its stake in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 0.6% during the 4th quarter. Nissay Asset Management Corp Japan ADV now owns 9,318 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $3,105,000 after purchasing an additional 55 shares during the period. Formidable Asset Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 2.7% during the 4th quarter. Formidable Asset Management LLC now owns 2,067 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $677,000 after purchasing an additional 55 shares during the period. Sumitomo Mitsui DS Asset Management Company Ltd grew its holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services by 0.7% during the 1st 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 purchasing an additional 57 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Horizon Investments LLC boosted its holdings in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 5.8% in the 1st quarter. Horizon Investments LLC now owns 1,048 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $234,000 after buying an additional 57 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 93.90% of the company's stock.

West Pharmaceutical Services Trading Up 0.6%

Shares of WST traded up $1.60 on Monday, hitting $252.33. 234,377 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 822,955. The stock's 50 day moving average is $237.60 and its two-hundred day moving average is $224.15. 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 1 year low of $187.43 and a 1 year high of $352.33. The firm has a market capitalization of $18.14 billion, a P/E ratio of 37.77, a P/E/G ratio of 4.45 and a beta of 1.05.

West Pharmaceutical Services (NYSE:WST - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Thursday, July 24th. The medical instruments supplier reported $1.84 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.51 by $0.33. West Pharmaceutical Services had a return on equity of 18.43% and a net margin of 16.48%.The firm had revenue of $766.50 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $725.11 million. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $1.52 earnings per share. West Pharmaceutical Services's revenue was up 9.2% compared to the same quarter last year. West Pharmaceutical Services has set its FY 2025 guidance at 6.650-6.850 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts predict 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 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. This is a boost 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 is Wednesday, November 12th. West Pharmaceutical Services's dividend payout ratio is 12.57%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms have issued reports on WST. Evercore ISI upped their price target on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services from $275.00 to $350.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Friday, July 25th. Citigroup restated a "buy" rating on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in a research note on Thursday, May 22nd. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of West Pharmaceutical Services from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Saturday, July 26th. UBS Group upped 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, Barclays initiated coverage on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in a research note on Tuesday, June 24th. They set an "equal weight" rating and a $245.00 target price for the company. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have given a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average 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.