Unisphere Establishment Boosts Stake in West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. $WST

Key Points

• Unisphere Establishment increased its holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services, acquiring an additional 9,700 shares for a total of 29,500 shares, amounting to a value of $6.6 million.
• Several analysts upgraded their ratings on West Pharmaceutical Services, with UBS Group raising their price target from $285 to $320, and Evercore ISI boosting it from $275 to $350.
• The company has declared a quarterly dividend increase from $0.21 to $0.22, set to be paid on November 19th, reflecting a 0.4% dividend yield.

Unisphere Establishment boosted its stake in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST - Free Report) by 49.0% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 29,500 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock after acquiring an additional 9,700 shares during the quarter. Unisphere Establishment's holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services were worth $6,604,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of WST. DAVENPORT & Co LLC raised its position in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 103.8% in the 1st quarter. DAVENPORT & Co LLC now owns 2,230 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $499,000 after acquiring an additional 1,136 shares in the last quarter. Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. increased its holdings in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 34.7% in the 1st quarter. Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. now owns 5,581 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $1,249,000 after purchasing an additional 1,437 shares in the last quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. boosted its stake in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 43.7% in the 1st quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. now owns 1,075 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $241,000 after buying an additional 327 shares during the last quarter. Sivik Global Healthcare LLC purchased a new position in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in the 1st quarter worth $2,799,000. Finally, State of Alaska Department of Revenue boosted its stake in shares of 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 buying an additional 225 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 93.90% of the company's stock.

West Pharmaceutical Services Stock Down 0.5%

Shares of WST stock traded down $1.20 during trading hours on Thursday, reaching $247.75. 621,318 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 489,531. 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 stock's 50 day moving average is $236.97 and its 200-day moving average is $223.59. West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $187.43 and a fifty-two week high of $352.33. The company has a market cap of $17.82 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 37.09, a P/E/G ratio of 4.42 and a beta of 1.05.

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 (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.51 by $0.33. West Pharmaceutical Services had a return on equity of 18.43% and a net margin of 16.48%.The firm had revenue of $766.50 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $725.11 million. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $1.52 EPS. The firm'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. Analysts predict that West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. will post 6.62 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

West Pharmaceutical Services Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, November 19th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, November 12th will be given a dividend of $0.22 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, November 12th. This represents a $0.88 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.4%. This is an increase from West Pharmaceutical Services's previous quarterly dividend of $0.21. West Pharmaceutical Services's payout ratio is 12.57%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts recently weighed in on the company. Citigroup reiterated a "buy" rating on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in a research report on Thursday, May 22nd. Evercore ISI lifted their target price on West Pharmaceutical Services from $275.00 to $350.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Friday, July 25th. Barclays started coverage on West Pharmaceutical Services in a report on Tuesday, June 24th. They issued an "equal weight" rating and a $245.00 target price on the stock. Wall Street Zen raised West Pharmaceutical Services from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Saturday, July 26th. Finally, UBS Group upped their target price on West Pharmaceutical Services from $285.00 to $320.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, July 25th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have assigned a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $320.71.

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.