UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC Acquires 343,997 Shares of West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. $WST

Key Points

• UBS Asset Management increased its stake in West Pharmaceutical Services by 43.5%, now owning 1,134,706 shares valued at approximately $254 million.
• West Pharmaceutical reported better-than-expected earnings with an EPS of $1.84 for the last quarter, surpassing estimates of $1.51 and showing a year-over-year revenue increase of 9.2%.
• The company announced a quarterly dividend increase to $0.22 per share, which reflects an annualized yield of 0.3% and marks a boost from the previous dividend of $0.21.

UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC grew its holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST - Free Report) by 43.5% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 1,134,706 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock after acquiring an additional 343,997 shares during the quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC owned 1.58% of West Pharmaceutical Services worth $254,038,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the stock. Durable Capital Partners LP raised its stake in West Pharmaceutical Services by 146.8% during the 1st quarter. Durable Capital Partners LP now owns 1,573,119 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $352,190,000 after purchasing an additional 935,721 shares during the last quarter. Brown Advisory Inc. increased its holdings 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 worth $731,747,000 after purchasing an additional 716,442 shares during the period. Kayne Anderson Rudnick Investment Management LLC raised its position in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 57.8% during the first quarter. Kayne Anderson Rudnick Investment Management LLC now owns 997,882 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $223,406,000 after buying an additional 365,575 shares during the last quarter. Nuveen LLC bought a new stake in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in the first quarter valued at about $79,255,000. Finally, Vanguard Group Inc. grew its position in West Pharmaceutical Services by 2.7% during the first quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 9,231,721 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $2,066,798,000 after buying an additional 244,259 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 93.90% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages recently issued reports on WST. Citigroup restated a "buy" rating on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in a research note on Thursday, May 22nd. Evercore ISI lifted their price objective on West Pharmaceutical Services from $275.00 to $350.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Friday, July 25th. Barclays began coverage on West Pharmaceutical Services in a research report on Tuesday, June 24th. They set an "equal weight" rating and a $245.00 price objective on the stock. 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. Finally, UBS Group boosted their price target 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. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have issued a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $320.71.

West Pharmaceutical Services Price Performance

Shares of West Pharmaceutical Services stock traded down $10.24 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $253.50. 746,173 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 538,180. The company has a market cap of $18.23 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 37.95, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.68 and a beta of 1.05. West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $187.43 and a fifty-two week high of $352.33. The company has a current ratio of 2.78, a quick ratio of 2.08 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.07. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $241.04 and a 200 day simple moving average of $225.42.

West Pharmaceutical Services (NYSE:WST - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, July 24th. The medical instruments supplier reported $1.84 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.51 by $0.33. The company had revenue of $766.50 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $725.11 million. West Pharmaceutical Services had a net margin of 16.48% and a return on equity of 18.43%. West Pharmaceutical Services's quarterly revenue 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, sell-side analysts predict that West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. will post 6.62 EPS for the current fiscal 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 issued a dividend of $0.22 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, November 12th. This represents a $0.88 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.3%. This is a positive change from West Pharmaceutical Services's previous quarterly dividend of $0.21. West Pharmaceutical Services's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 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.