Polar Asset Management Partners Inc. Boosts Stake in West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. $WST

Key Points

• Polar Asset Management Partners Inc. increased its stake in West Pharmaceutical Services by 106.5% during the first quarter, bringing its total ownership to approximately 53,070 shares valued at $11.88 million.
• Analysts have raised their price targets on West Pharmaceutical Services, with Evercore ISI increasing theirs from $275 to $350 and UBS Group boosting it from $285 to $320, reflecting a generally positive outlook.
• West Pharmaceutical Services declared a quarterly dividend of $0.22 per share, marking an increase from the previous $0.21 and representing an annualized yield of 0.4%.

Polar Asset Management Partners Inc. lifted its holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST - Free Report) by 106.5% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 53,070 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock after buying an additional 27,370 shares during the period. Polar Asset Management Partners Inc. owned approximately 0.07% of West Pharmaceutical Services worth $11,881,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of WST. Boston Trust Walden Corp lifted its position 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 buying an additional 50 shares during the last quarter. Nissay Asset Management Corp Japan ADV lifted its position 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 buying an additional 55 shares during the last quarter. Formidable Asset Management LLC lifted its position 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 buying an additional 55 shares during the last quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui DS Asset Management Company Ltd lifted its position in shares of 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 worth $1,766,000 after buying an additional 57 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Horizon Investments LLC lifted its position in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 5.8% during the 1st quarter. Horizon Investments LLC now owns 1,048 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $234,000 after buying an additional 57 shares during the last quarter. 93.90% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts recently commented on the stock. 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 research 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 research note on Saturday, July 26th. Barclays initiated coverage on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in a research note on Tuesday, June 24th. They issued an "equal weight" rating and a $245.00 price objective on the stock. Finally, UBS Group boosted their price objective on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services from $285.00 to $320.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, July 25th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have assigned a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, West Pharmaceutical Services currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $320.71.

West Pharmaceutical Services Price Performance

Shares of NYSE WST opened at $247.75 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $17.82 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 37.09, a PEG ratio of 4.42 and a beta of 1.05. West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. has a 52 week low of $187.43 and a 52 week high of $352.33. The company's 50-day moving average price is $236.97 and its 200 day moving average price is $223.59. The company has a current ratio of 2.78, a quick ratio of 2.08 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.07.

West Pharmaceutical Services (NYSE:WST - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 24th. The medical instruments supplier reported $1.84 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates 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 firm's revenue was up 9.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $1.52 EPS. West Pharmaceutical Services has set its FY 2025 guidance at 6.650-6.850 EPS. As a group, research analysts forecast that West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. will post 6.62 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

West Pharmaceutical Services Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, November 19th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, November 12th will be paid a dividend of $0.22 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, November 12th. This represents a $0.88 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.4%. 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%.

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.

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