Quantitative Investment Management LLC Raises Stock Holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. $WST

Key Points

• Quantitative Investment Management LLC increased its stake in West Pharmaceutical Services by 2,183.9%, owning 18,568 shares valued at approximately $4.16 million after acquiring 17,755 additional shares.
• West Pharmaceutical Services reported a quarterly EPS of $1.84, exceeding analyst estimates of $1.51, alongside revenue of $766.50 million, which was also higher than the expected $725.11 million.
• The company announced a quarterly dividend increase to $0.22 per share, up from $0.21, with a dividend yield of approximately 0.4%.

Quantitative Investment Management LLC grew its position in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST - Free Report) by 2,183.9% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 18,568 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock after purchasing an additional 17,755 shares during the quarter. Quantitative Investment Management LLC's holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services were worth $4,157,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the business. Brown Advisory Inc. raised its position in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 28.1% during the 1st quarter. Brown Advisory Inc. now owns 3,268,478 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $731,747,000 after buying an additional 716,442 shares during the period. D. E. Shaw & Co. Inc. boosted its holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services by 5,277.7% in the fourth quarter. D. E. Shaw & Co. Inc. now owns 425,915 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $139,513,000 after purchasing an additional 417,995 shares during the period. Nuveen LLC acquired a new position in West Pharmaceutical Services during the 1st quarter worth $79,255,000. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services by 2.7% during 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 during the period. Finally, Point72 Asset Management L.P. acquired a new stake in West Pharmaceutical Services in the 4th quarter valued at about $66,322,000. 93.90% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts recently weighed in on the stock. 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 West Pharmaceutical Services in a research note on Tuesday, June 24th. They issued an "equal weight" rating and a $245.00 price target on the stock. Evercore ISI upped their price objective on West Pharmaceutical Services from $275.00 to $350.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Friday, July 25th. Finally, UBS Group raised their target price on West Pharmaceutical Services from $285.00 to $320.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, July 25th. 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 company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $320.71.

West Pharmaceutical Services Stock Performance

WST traded down $0.37 during trading on Thursday, reaching $245.60. The company's stock had a trading volume of 782,953 shares, compared to its average volume of 836,082. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.07, a quick ratio of 2.08 and a current ratio of 2.78. The company's fifty day moving average price is $233.67 and its 200-day moving average price is $224.41. West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. has a 52-week low of $187.43 and a 52-week high of $352.33. The company has a market capitalization of $17.66 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 36.77, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.34 and a beta of 1.05.

West Pharmaceutical Services (NYSE:WST - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 24th. The medical instruments supplier reported $1.84 earnings per share for the quarter, beating 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 the consensus estimate of $725.11 million. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $1.52 earnings per share. The company'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. On average, equities 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. Investors of record on Wednesday, November 12th will be issued a $0.22 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, November 12th. This represents a $0.88 dividend on an annualized basis 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 payout ratio is currently 12.57%.

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.