Vest Financial LLC Has $53.57 Million Stock Position in West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. $WST

Key Points

• Vest Financial LLC has increased its stake in West Pharmaceutical Services by 54.1%, owning 244,814 shares valued at approximately $53.57 million.
• A number of institutional investors also increased their holdings, with 93.90% of the company's stock now owned by institutional investors.
• West Pharmaceutical Services recently declared a quarterly dividend of $0.22, an increase from the previous $0.21, showcasing its commitment to returning value to shareholders.

Vest Financial LLC raised its stake in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST - Free Report) by 54.1% during the second quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 244,814 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock after purchasing an additional 85,897 shares during the quarter. Vest Financial LLC owned 0.34% of West Pharmaceutical Services worth $53,565,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Yousif Capital Management LLC raised its stake in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 7.6% in the second quarter. Yousif Capital Management LLC now owns 31,202 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $6,827,000 after acquiring an additional 2,202 shares during the last quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC raised its stake in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 13.2% in the second quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 3,592 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $799,000 after acquiring an additional 420 shares during the last quarter. CWM LLC raised its stake in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 58.3% in the second quarter. CWM LLC now owns 2,340 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $512,000 after acquiring an additional 862 shares during the last quarter. Vanguard Personalized Indexing Management LLC raised its stake in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 22.3% in the second quarter. Vanguard Personalized Indexing Management LLC now owns 9,902 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $2,167,000 after acquiring an additional 1,804 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Sivik Global Healthcare LLC raised its stake in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 20.0% in the second quarter. Sivik Global Healthcare LLC now owns 15,000 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $3,282,000 after acquiring an additional 2,500 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 93.90% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Weiss Ratings reiterated a "hold (c-)" rating on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in a research note on Saturday, September 27th. Rothschild Redb upgraded shares of West Pharmaceutical Services to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Monday, September 15th. Redburn Partners set a $311.00 target price on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in a research note on Monday, September 15th. UBS Group raised 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. Finally, Zacks Research lowered shares of West Pharmaceutical Services from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Tuesday, September 23rd. Two 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, West Pharmaceutical Services has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $321.89.

West Pharmaceutical Services Price Performance

WST opened at $262.10 on Monday. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $252.39 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $230.00. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.07, a quick ratio of 2.08 and a current ratio of 2.78. West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. has a 52 week low of $187.43 and a 52 week high of $352.33. The firm has a market capitalization of $18.85 billion, a PE ratio of 39.24, a P/E/G ratio of 4.65 and a beta of 1.07.

West Pharmaceutical Services (NYSE:WST - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results 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 analyst estimates of $725.11 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $1.52 EPS. The business's quarterly revenue 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. As a group, analysts anticipate that West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. will post 6.62 earnings per share for the current 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 $0.22 dividend. This is a positive change 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 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.3%. West Pharmaceutical Services's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 12.57%.

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.

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