Swedbank AB Sells 1,172 Shares of West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. $WST

Key Points

• Swedbank AB has reduced its holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. by 10.1%, selling 1,172 shares and now owning 10,423 shares valued at approximately $2.33 million.
• Multiple hedge funds have made significant adjustments to their positions in West Pharmaceutical Services, with Durable Capital Partners LP increasing its stake by 146.8% during the first quarter.
• West Pharmaceutical Services recently reported earnings of $1.84 per share, beating analyst estimates, and announced a quarterly dividend increase from $0.21 to $0.22, reflecting its ongoing financial growth.

Swedbank AB lessened its holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST - Free Report) by 10.1% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 10,423 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock after selling 1,172 shares during the quarter. Swedbank AB's holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services were worth $2,334,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of WST. Zions Bancorporation National Association UT acquired a new position in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in the first quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Quarry LP purchased a new stake in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services during the 1st quarter valued at $27,000. First Horizon Advisors Inc. increased its holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services by 85.0% in the 1st quarter. First Horizon Advisors Inc. now owns 185 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $41,000 after acquiring an additional 85 shares during the last quarter. Opal Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new position in West Pharmaceutical Services during the 1st quarter valued at about $53,000. Finally, Whipplewood Advisors LLC grew its holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services by 248.0% during the 1st quarter. Whipplewood Advisors LLC now owns 261 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $58,000 after buying an additional 186 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 93.90% of the company's stock.

West Pharmaceutical Services Stock Down 0.1%

NYSE:WST traded down $0.29 on Friday, reaching $254.69. The stock had a trading volume of 1,297,599 shares, compared to its average volume of 534,419. The stock has a market cap of $18.31 billion, a P/E ratio of 38.13, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.52 and a beta of 1.05. The company has a 50-day moving average of $244.20 and a 200 day moving average of $226.44. 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, Inc. has a 12-month low of $187.43 and a 12-month high of $352.33.

West Pharmaceutical Services (NYSE:WST - Get Free Report) last released 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. The company had revenue of $766.50 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $725.11 million. West Pharmaceutical Services had a return on equity of 18.43% and a net margin of 16.48%.The business's revenue for the quarter was up 9.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $1.52 earnings per share. West Pharmaceutical Services has set its FY 2025 guidance at 6.650-6.850 EPS. On average, research analysts predict that West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. will post 6.62 earnings per share for the current year.

West Pharmaceutical Services Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed 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. This is a positive change from West Pharmaceutical Services's previous quarterly dividend of $0.21. This represents a $0.88 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.3%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, November 12th. West Pharmaceutical Services's payout ratio is currently 12.57%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages have weighed in on WST. Barclays began coverage on 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. Wall Street Zen upgraded West Pharmaceutical Services from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Saturday, July 26th. Evercore ISI upped their target price on West Pharmaceutical Services from $275.00 to $350.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Friday, July 25th. Redburn Partners set a $311.00 price target on West Pharmaceutical Services in a report on Monday, September 15th. Finally, Rothschild Redb upgraded West Pharmaceutical Services to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Monday, September 15th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have issued a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, West Pharmaceutical Services currently has an average rating of "Buy" and an average price target of $318.56.

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.