Vestmark Advisory Solutions Inc. Acquires 1,172 Shares of West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. $WST

Key Points

• Vestmark Advisory Solutions Inc. increased its holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services by 71.6% during the first quarter, now owning 2,810 shares worth $629,000.
• West Pharmaceutical Services reported $1.84 EPS for the most recent quarter, beating estimates of $1.51, with a revenue growth of 9.2% year-over-year.
• The company announced an increase in its quarterly dividend from $0.21 to $0.22 per share, with a payout ratio of 12.57% and a yield of 0.4%.

Vestmark Advisory Solutions Inc. increased its holdings in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST - Free Report) by 71.6% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 2,810 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock after purchasing an additional 1,172 shares during the period. Vestmark Advisory Solutions Inc.'s holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services were worth $629,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the business. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its stake 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 valued at $2,066,798,000 after buying an additional 244,259 shares in the last quarter. Brown Advisory Inc. raised its holdings in shares of 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 worth $731,747,000 after acquiring an additional 716,442 shares during the period. Invesco Ltd. lifted its position in West Pharmaceutical Services by 25.7% in the 1st quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 949,455 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $212,564,000 after acquiring an additional 194,216 shares in the last quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC boosted its stake in West Pharmaceutical Services by 15.7% in the 4th quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 790,709 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $259,005,000 after purchasing an additional 107,359 shares during the period. Finally, Northern Trust Corp increased its holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services by 16.6% during the 4th quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 768,848 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $251,844,000 after purchasing an additional 109,481 shares in the last quarter. 93.90% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages have recently commented on WST. Wall Street Zen upgraded West Pharmaceutical Services from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Saturday, July 26th. Barclays began coverage on West Pharmaceutical Services in a research note on Tuesday, June 24th. They issued an "equal weight" rating and a $245.00 target price on the stock. UBS Group upped their price target 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. Citigroup reiterated a "buy" rating on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in a report on Thursday, May 22nd. Finally, Evercore ISI boosted their price objective on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services from $275.00 to $350.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research 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 assigned a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, West Pharmaceutical Services presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $320.71.

West Pharmaceutical Services Stock Up 2.0%

Shares of NYSE:WST traded up $4.94 during trading on Friday, hitting $247.57. 503,627 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 682,039. West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $187.43 and a fifty-two week high of $352.33. The stock has a market cap of $17.80 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 37.06, a P/E/G ratio of 4.40 and a beta of 1.05. 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 fifty day moving average price of $232.14 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $225.37.

West Pharmaceutical Services (NYSE:WST - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Thursday, July 24th. The medical instruments supplier reported $1.84 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.51 by $0.33. The business 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%. The firm's revenue was up 9.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the business earned $1.52 earnings per share. 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 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

West Pharmaceutical Services Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced 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 represents a $0.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.4%. 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. West Pharmaceutical Services's payout ratio is currently 12.57%.

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.