Te Ahumairangi Investment Management Ltd Buys New Position in West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. $WST

Key Points

• Te Ahumairangi Investment Management Ltd invested $638,000 in West Pharmaceutical Services by acquiring 2,850 shares in the first quarter.
• West Pharmaceutical Services recently reported earnings of $1.84 per share, surpassing estimates, and its revenue for the quarter increased by 9.2% year-over-year.
• The company announced a quarterly dividend increase to $0.22 per share, an increase from the previous dividend of $0.21, with a payout ratio of 12.57%.

Te Ahumairangi Investment Management Ltd acquired a new position in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST - Free Report) in the first quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor acquired 2,850 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock, valued at approximately $638,000.

Other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. Zions Bancorporation National Association UT acquired a new stake in West Pharmaceutical Services during the first quarter worth about $25,000. First Horizon Advisors Inc. boosted its stake in West Pharmaceutical Services by 85.0% during the first quarter. First Horizon Advisors Inc. now owns 185 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $41,000 after buying an additional 85 shares during the period. Opal Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new position in West Pharmaceutical Services during the first quarter worth about $53,000. Whipplewood Advisors LLC boosted its stake in West Pharmaceutical Services by 248.0% during the first quarter. Whipplewood Advisors LLC now owns 261 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $58,000 after buying an additional 186 shares during the period. Finally, Brooklyn Investment Group boosted its stake in West Pharmaceutical Services by 83.3% during the first quarter. Brooklyn Investment Group now owns 275 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $61,000 after buying an additional 125 shares during the period. 93.90% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts have commented on WST shares. Citigroup reissued a "buy" rating on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in a research report on Thursday, May 22nd. Wall Street Zen raised shares of West Pharmaceutical Services from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Saturday, July 26th. Barclays began coverage on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in a report on Tuesday, June 24th. They set an "equal weight" rating and a $245.00 price objective on the stock. UBS Group lifted their target price on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services from $285.00 to $320.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, July 25th. Finally, Evercore ISI increased 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. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have given a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $320.71.

West Pharmaceutical Services Price Performance

Shares of West Pharmaceutical Services stock traded up $1.73 on Monday, hitting $247.18. The company's stock had a trading volume of 462,981 shares, compared to its average volume of 527,679. West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. has a 52-week low of $187.43 and a 52-week high of $352.33. The company has a quick ratio of 2.08, a current ratio of 2.78 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.07. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $234.84 and a 200-day moving average price of $222.82. The company has a market capitalization of $17.77 billion, a P/E ratio of 37.00, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.38 and a beta of 1.05.

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, 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 business had revenue of $766.50 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $725.11 million. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $1.52 EPS. The business'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 research analysts expect 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 announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, November 19th. Investors of record on Wednesday, November 12th will be paid a $0.22 dividend. This represents a $0.88 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.4%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, November 12th. 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 13.17%.

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.