Vanguard Personalized Indexing Management LLC Acquires 1,804 Shares of West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. $WST

Key Points

• Vanguard Personalized Indexing Management LLC increased its holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services by 22.3%, acquiring an additional 1,804 shares, bringing its total ownership to 9,902 shares valued at $2,167,000.
• West Pharmaceutical Services reported Q2 earnings of $1.84 EPS, surpassing expectations, and announced a quarterly dividend increase to $0.22 per share, up from $0.21.
• Analysts have given West Pharmaceutical a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy", with target prices ranging from $260.00 to $320.00, indicating positive market sentiment.

Vanguard Personalized Indexing Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST - Free Report) by 22.3% during the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 9,902 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock after purchasing an additional 1,804 shares during the quarter. Vanguard Personalized Indexing Management LLC's holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services were worth $2,167,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. SG Americas Securities LLC raised its holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services by 322.8% during the 1st quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 3,353 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $751,000 after buying an additional 2,560 shares during the period. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC increased its position in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 2.9% during the first quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 27,934 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $6,254,000 after acquiring an additional 782 shares in the last quarter. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC raised its holdings in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 38.5% during the first quarter. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC now owns 331 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $74,000 after acquiring an additional 92 shares during the period. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC lifted its position in West Pharmaceutical Services by 5.2% in the 1st quarter. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC now owns 47,419 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $10,616,000 after acquiring an additional 2,350 shares in the last quarter. Finally, State of Alaska Department of Revenue boosted its stake in West Pharmaceutical Services by 2.7% in the 1st quarter. State of Alaska Department of Revenue now owns 8,486 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $1,899,000 after purchasing an additional 225 shares during the period. 93.90% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

West Pharmaceutical Services Stock Performance

NYSE WST opened at $266.96 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $19.20 billion, a P/E ratio of 39.96, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.67 and a beta of 1.07. 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's fifty day moving average price is $254.36 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $231.02. West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. has a 1 year low of $187.43 and a 1 year high of $352.33.

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 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.51 by $0.33. The company had revenue of $766.50 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates 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 revenue for the quarter was up 9.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $1.52 EPS. West Pharmaceutical Services has set its FY 2025 guidance at 6.650-6.850 EPS. As a group, research analysts anticipate that West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. will post 6.62 EPS for the current year.

West Pharmaceutical Services Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, November 19th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, November 12th will be given a $0.22 dividend. 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. This represents a $0.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.3%. West Pharmaceutical Services's payout ratio is 12.57%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts have issued reports on the company. Weiss Ratings reissued a "hold (c)" rating on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in a research note on Tuesday. UBS Group lifted their target price on West Pharmaceutical Services from $285.00 to $320.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, July 25th. Wall Street Zen raised West Pharmaceutical Services from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Saturday, July 26th. Barclays lifted their price objective on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services from $260.00 to $275.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a report on Thursday, October 2nd. Finally, Rothschild & Co Redburn initiated coverage on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in a report on Monday, September 15th. They set a "buy" rating and a $311.00 target price for the company. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have given a Buy rating and four have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $321.89.

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.

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