UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC Has $254.04 Million Stock Position in 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 raised its stake in West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST - Free Report) by 43.5% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 1,134,706 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock after purchasing an additional 343,997 shares during the period. 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 SEC filing.

Several other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in WST. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its position in West Pharmaceutical Services by 2.7% in 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 during the period. Brown Advisory Inc. boosted its stake in West Pharmaceutical Services by 28.1% during the first quarter. Brown Advisory Inc. now owns 3,268,478 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $731,747,000 after buying an additional 716,442 shares in the last quarter. Durable Capital Partners LP boosted its holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services by 146.8% during the first quarter. Durable Capital Partners LP now owns 1,573,119 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $352,190,000 after buying an additional 935,721 shares in the last quarter. APG Asset Management N.V. raised its position in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 8.7% during the first quarter. APG Asset Management N.V. now owns 1,562,139 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $323,766,000 after purchasing an additional 124,737 shares during the period. Finally, Kayne Anderson Rudnick Investment Management LLC lifted its stake in 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 in the last quarter. 93.90% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

West Pharmaceutical Services Stock Performance

NYSE WST traded up $0.46 on Tuesday, hitting $257.99. 77,916 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 816,962. West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. has a 52 week low of $187.43 and a 52 week high of $352.33. The company has a market capitalization of $18.55 billion, a PE ratio of 38.56, a P/E/G ratio of 4.50 and a beta of 1.05. The business's fifty day moving average is $241.77 and its 200 day moving average is $225.61. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.07, a current ratio of 2.78 and a quick ratio of 2.08.

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 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 firm had revenue of $766.50 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $725.11 million. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $1.52 earnings per share. The company'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. Research analysts anticipate that West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. will post 6.62 EPS for the current fiscal year.

West Pharmaceutical Services Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, November 19th. Stockholders 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 of this dividend is Wednesday, November 12th. This represents a $0.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.3%. West Pharmaceutical Services's payout ratio is currently 12.57%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts have recently issued reports on WST shares. Redburn Partners set a $311.00 price target on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in a research report on Monday. Rothschild Redb raised West Pharmaceutical Services to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Monday. Evercore ISI upped their price target on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services from $275.00 to $350.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Friday, July 25th. Rothschild & Co Redburn started coverage on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in a research report on Monday. They set a "buy" rating and a $311.00 price objective for the company. Finally, UBS Group raised their target price on West Pharmaceutical Services from $285.00 to $320.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, July 25th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have issued a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, West Pharmaceutical Services currently has a consensus rating of "Buy" and a consensus price target of $318.56.

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.