West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. $WST Shares Acquired by Yousif Capital Management LLC

Key Points

• Yousif Capital Management LLC has increased its stake in West Pharmaceutical Services by 7.6%, now holding 31,202 shares valued at approximately $6.83 million.
• West Pharmaceutical Services reported earnings of $1.84 EPS for the last quarter, surpassing expectations, and announced plans to pay a quarterly dividend of $0.22 per share, up from $0.21.
• Analysts have varied opinions on the stock, with a target price range between $260.00 to $350.00 and ratings from "Hold" to "Strong Buy" reflecting mixed sentiment on its future performance.

Yousif Capital Management LLC grew its stake in West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST - Free Report) by 7.6% during the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 31,202 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock after purchasing an additional 2,202 shares during the period. Yousif Capital Management LLC's holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services were worth $6,827,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. SG Americas Securities LLC increased its stake in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 322.8% during the first quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 3,353 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $751,000 after acquiring an additional 2,560 shares during the period. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC increased its stake 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 during the period. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC increased its stake 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 increased its position in West Pharmaceutical Services by 5.2% during the 1st quarter. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC now owns 47,419 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $10,616,000 after purchasing an additional 2,350 shares during the period. Finally, Conestoga Capital Advisors LLC increased its position in West Pharmaceutical Services by 7.2% during the 1st quarter. Conestoga Capital Advisors LLC now owns 72,007 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $16,121,000 after purchasing an additional 4,820 shares during the period. 93.90% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts have issued reports on the company. Evercore ISI set a $350.00 target price on West Pharmaceutical Services in a research report on Tuesday, October 7th. Wall Street Zen raised West Pharmaceutical Services from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Saturday, July 26th. Barclays upped their price target on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services from $260.00 to $275.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Thursday, October 2nd. Zacks Research cut shares of West Pharmaceutical Services from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Tuesday, September 23rd. Finally, UBS Group upped their target price on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services from $285.00 to $320.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, July 25th. Two equities 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 company. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $321.89.

West Pharmaceutical Services Stock Down 0.5%

WST stock opened at $261.22 on Wednesday. The company's 50 day simple moving average is $253.32 and its 200-day simple moving average is $230.50. The firm has a market capitalization of $18.78 billion, a PE ratio of 39.10, a P/E/G ratio of 4.66 and a beta of 1.07. West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. has a 12 month low of $187.43 and a 12 month high of $352.33. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.07, a current ratio of 2.78 and a quick ratio of 2.08.

West Pharmaceutical Services (NYSE:WST - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, July 24th. The medical instruments supplier reported $1.84 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.51 by $0.33. The firm had revenue of $766.50 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $725.11 million. West Pharmaceutical Services had a return on equity of 18.43% and a net margin of 16.48%.West Pharmaceutical Services's quarterly revenue was up 9.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $1.52 EPS. West Pharmaceutical Services has set its FY 2025 guidance at 6.650-6.850 EPS. Equities analysts expect 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 disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, November 19th. Investors of record on Wednesday, November 12th will be paid a dividend of $0.22 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, November 12th. This is an increase 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 dividend payout ratio is 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.

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