Quantbot Technologies LP Purchases Shares of 5,126 West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. $WST

Key Points

• Quantbot Technologies LP has established a new position in West Pharmaceutical Services by purchasing 5,126 shares valued at approximately $1.15 million.
• West Pharmaceutical Services recently reported better-than-expected quarterly earnings, with an EPS of $1.84, surpassing the consensus estimate of $1.51.
• The company has announced an increase in its quarterly dividend to $0.22, up from the previous $0.21, with a payment date set for November 19th.

Quantbot Technologies LP acquired a new position in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST - Free Report) during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm acquired 5,126 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock, valued at approximately $1,148,000.

Several other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of WST. First Trust Advisors LP increased its holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services by 175.4% during the 4th quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 41,673 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $13,650,000 after purchasing an additional 26,539 shares during the period. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP increased its holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services by 0.7% during the 4th quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 274,833 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $90,028,000 after purchasing an additional 1,999 shares during the period. TD Waterhouse Canada Inc. increased its holdings in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 18.3% in the 4th quarter. TD Waterhouse Canada Inc. now owns 2,241 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $734,000 after acquiring an additional 347 shares during the period. Stifel Financial Corp increased its holdings in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 0.3% in the 4th quarter. Stifel Financial Corp now owns 41,354 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $13,547,000 after acquiring an additional 131 shares during the period. Finally, MGO One Seven LLC increased its holdings in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 4.4% in the 4th quarter. MGO One Seven LLC now owns 1,277 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $418,000 after acquiring an additional 54 shares during the period. 93.90% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts have recently issued reports on WST shares. Wall Street Zen upgraded West Pharmaceutical Services from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Saturday, July 26th. Barclays started coverage on West Pharmaceutical Services in a report on Tuesday, June 24th. They issued an "equal weight" rating and a $245.00 price target on the stock. UBS Group lifted their price target on West Pharmaceutical Services from $285.00 to $320.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, July 25th. Evercore ISI lifted their price target on West Pharmaceutical Services from $275.00 to $350.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Friday, July 25th. Finally, Citigroup reiterated a "buy" rating on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in a report on Thursday, May 22nd. One research 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 company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $320.71.

West Pharmaceutical Services Stock Performance

WST traded down $0.68 on Thursday, reaching $245.29. 313,585 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 833,180. The firm has a market capitalization of $17.64 billion, a PE ratio of 36.76, a PEG ratio of 4.34 and a beta of 1.05. The company's 50-day moving average price is $233.67 and its 200 day moving average price is $224.41. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.07, a current ratio of 2.78 and a quick ratio of 2.08. West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $187.43 and a fifty-two week high of $352.33.

West Pharmaceutical Services (NYSE:WST - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results 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. 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 during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $725.11 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $1.52 EPS. West Pharmaceutical Services's revenue for the quarter 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 forecast that West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. will post 6.62 EPS for the current fiscal year.

West Pharmaceutical Services Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, November 19th. Investors of record on Wednesday, November 12th will be issued a $0.22 dividend. This represents a $0.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.4%. This is a boost from West Pharmaceutical Services's previous quarterly dividend of $0.21. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, November 12th. West Pharmaceutical Services's dividend payout ratio (DPR) 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.