Royal Bank of Canada Sells 2,351 Shares of West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. $WST

Key Points

• Royal Bank of Canada has reduced its stake in West Pharmaceutical Services by 0.4%, selling 2,351 shares and retaining approximately 0.73% of the company worth $117.12 million.
• West Pharmaceutical Services reported a net margin of 16.48% and an EPS of $1.84 for the last quarter, exceeding analyst expectations with revenue of $766.50 million.
• The company declared a quarterly dividend increase to $0.22 per share, payable on November 19th, signaling a positive change from its previous dividend of $0.21.

Royal Bank of Canada trimmed its holdings in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST - Free Report) by 0.4% in the first quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 523,137 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock after selling 2,351 shares during the period. Royal Bank of Canada owned approximately 0.73% of West Pharmaceutical Services worth $117,120,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in WST. DAVENPORT & Co LLC lifted its holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services by 103.8% during the 1st quarter. DAVENPORT & Co LLC now owns 2,230 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $499,000 after purchasing an additional 1,136 shares during the last quarter. Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. lifted its holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services by 34.7% during the 1st quarter. Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. now owns 5,581 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $1,249,000 after purchasing an additional 1,437 shares during the last quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. lifted its holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services by 43.7% during the 1st quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. now owns 1,075 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $241,000 after purchasing an additional 327 shares during the last quarter. Sivik Global Healthcare LLC bought a new position in West Pharmaceutical Services during the 1st quarter valued at about $2,799,000. Finally, State of Alaska Department of Revenue lifted its holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services by 2.7% during the 1st quarter. State of Alaska Department of Revenue now owns 8,486 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $1,899,000 after purchasing an additional 225 shares during the last quarter. 93.90% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

West Pharmaceutical Services Stock Down 1.3%

Shares of NYSE:WST opened at $243.75 on Wednesday. West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. has a one year low of $187.43 and a one year high of $352.33. The company has a 50 day moving average of $235.86 and a 200-day moving average of $223.19. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.07, a current ratio of 2.78 and a quick ratio of 2.08. The stock has a market cap of $17.53 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 36.49, a P/E/G ratio of 4.38 and a beta of 1.05.

West Pharmaceutical Services (NYSE:WST - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 24th. The medical instruments supplier reported $1.84 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.51 by $0.33. West Pharmaceutical Services had a net margin of 16.48% and a return on equity of 18.43%. The company had revenue of $766.50 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $725.11 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $1.52 EPS. West Pharmaceutical Services's revenue was up 9.2% on a year-over-year basis. West Pharmaceutical Services has set its FY 2025 guidance at 6.650-6.850 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. will post 6.62 earnings per share for the current year.

West Pharmaceutical Services Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, November 19th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, November 12th will be given a dividend of $0.22 per share. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, November 12th. This represents a $0.88 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.4%. This is a positive change from West Pharmaceutical Services's previous quarterly dividend of $0.21. West Pharmaceutical Services's dividend payout ratio is presently 12.57%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts recently issued reports on WST shares. Citigroup reissued a "buy" rating on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in a report on Thursday, May 22nd. Evercore ISI raised their price objective 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. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of West Pharmaceutical Services from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Saturday, July 26th. Barclays initiated coverage on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in a research report on Tuesday, June 24th. They issued an "equal weight" rating and a $245.00 price objective for the company. Finally, UBS Group raised 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 report on Friday, July 25th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have assigned a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus 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.

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