Sivik Global Healthcare LLC Purchases 2,500 Shares of West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. $WST

Key Points

• Sivik Global Healthcare LLC has increased its stake in West Pharmaceutical Services by 20% during the second quarter, bringing its total holdings to 15,000 shares valued at approximately $3.3 million.
• West Pharmaceutical Services has received upgraded price targets from several analysts, with UBS Group raising its target from $285 to $320 and Evercore ISI setting a target of $350.
• The company has announced a quarterly dividend increase to $0.22 per share, up from the previous $0.21, reflecting a continuation of its stable dividend policy.

Sivik Global Healthcare LLC raised its position in West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST - Free Report) by 20.0% during the second quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 15,000 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock after buying an additional 2,500 shares during the period. West Pharmaceutical Services comprises approximately 0.9% of Sivik Global Healthcare LLC's holdings, making the stock its 28th largest holding. Sivik Global Healthcare LLC's holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services were worth $3,282,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Dynamic Technology Lab Private Ltd bought a new position in West Pharmaceutical Services in the 1st quarter valued at $329,000. DAVENPORT & Co LLC boosted its position in West Pharmaceutical Services by 103.8% in the 1st quarter. DAVENPORT & Co LLC now owns 2,230 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $499,000 after buying an additional 1,136 shares during the last quarter. Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. lifted its stake in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 34.7% in 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 period. Polar Asset Management Partners Inc. lifted its stake in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 106.5% in the 1st quarter. Polar Asset Management Partners Inc. now owns 53,070 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $11,881,000 after purchasing an additional 27,370 shares during the period. Finally, First National Bank Sioux Falls lifted its stake in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 121.4% in the 2nd quarter. First National Bank Sioux Falls now owns 4,727 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $1,034,000 after purchasing an additional 2,592 shares during the period. 93.90% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts have recently weighed in on WST shares. UBS Group increased their price target on West Pharmaceutical Services from $285.00 to $320.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, July 25th. Barclays increased their price target on West Pharmaceutical Services from $260.00 to $275.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Thursday, October 2nd. Rothschild Redb raised West Pharmaceutical Services to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Monday, September 15th. Evercore ISI set a $350.00 price target on West Pharmaceutical Services in a research note on Tuesday. Finally, Zacks Research downgraded West Pharmaceutical Services from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Tuesday, September 23rd. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have given a Buy rating and four have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, West Pharmaceutical Services presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $321.89.

West Pharmaceutical Services Price Performance

WST opened at $262.10 on Friday. 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 12 month low of $187.43 and a 12 month high of $352.33. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $252.39 and a 200 day simple moving average of $229.97. The stock has a market cap of $18.85 billion, a P/E ratio of 39.24, a P/E/G ratio of 4.65 and a beta of 1.07.

West Pharmaceutical Services (NYSE:WST - Get Free Report) last released 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. West Pharmaceutical Services had a net margin of 16.48% and a return on equity of 18.43%. The business had revenue of $766.50 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $725.11 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $1.52 EPS. The firm's quarterly 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, research analysts expect that West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. will post 6.62 EPS 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 issued a dividend of $0.22 per share. This is a boost from West Pharmaceutical Services's previous quarterly dividend of $0.21. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, November 12th. This represents a $0.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.3%. West Pharmaceutical Services's dividend payout ratio is currently 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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