West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. $WST Position Increased by UniSuper Management Pty Ltd

Key Points

• UniSuper Management Pty Ltd increased its holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services by 20.9%, totaling $2.21 million worth of shares.
• Analysts have generally rated the stock positively, with several upgrades and a consensus target price of $320.71.
• West Pharmaceutical Services announced an increase in its quarterly dividend to $0.22 per share, with a current yield of 0.3%.

UniSuper Management Pty Ltd raised its holdings in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST - Free Report) by 20.9% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 9,861 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock after purchasing an additional 1,702 shares during the period. UniSuper Management Pty Ltd's holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services were worth $2,208,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Zions Bancorporation National Association UT bought a new position in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services during the first quarter worth about $25,000. Quarry LP bought a new position in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services during the first quarter worth about $27,000. First Horizon Advisors Inc. grew its position in shares of 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 acquiring an additional 85 shares during the last quarter. Opal Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services during the first quarter worth about $53,000. Finally, Whipplewood Advisors LLC grew its position in shares of 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 acquiring an additional 186 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 93.90% of the company's stock.

West Pharmaceutical Services Price Performance

NYSE WST traded up $0.79 on Tuesday, reaching $258.32. The company's stock had a trading volume of 436,173 shares, compared to its average volume of 535,428. West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. has a twelve month low of $187.43 and a twelve month high of $352.33. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.07, a quick ratio of 2.08 and a current ratio of 2.78. The stock has a market cap of $18.58 billion, a PE ratio of 38.67, a PEG ratio of 4.57 and a beta of 1.05. The firm's 50 day moving average is $242.52 and its two-hundred day moving average is $225.84.

West Pharmaceutical Services (NYSE:WST - Get Free Report) last issued 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. West Pharmaceutical Services had a net margin of 16.48% and a return on equity of 18.43%. The company had revenue of $766.50 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $725.11 million. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $1.52 EPS. West Pharmaceutical Services's 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. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. will post 6.62 EPS 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 boost from West Pharmaceutical Services's previous quarterly dividend of $0.21. This represents a $0.88 dividend on an annualized basis 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%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts have recently commented on the stock. Citigroup restated a "buy" rating on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in a research report on Thursday, May 22nd. Barclays started coverage on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in a research report on Tuesday, June 24th. They issued an "equal weight" rating and a $245.00 target price for the company. Redburn Partners set a $311.00 target price on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in a research report on Monday. Rothschild & Co Redburn started coverage on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in a research report on Monday. They issued a "buy" rating and a $311.00 target price for the company. Finally, Evercore ISI increased their target price on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services from $275.00 to $350.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Friday, July 25th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have assigned a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of "Buy" and an average target price of $318.56.

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.