APG Asset Management N.V. Acquires 124,737 Shares of West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. $WST

Key Points

• APG Asset Management N.V. increased its stake in West Pharmaceutical Services by 8.7%, now owning approximately 1.56 million shares valued at about $323.77 million.
• West Pharmaceutical Services reported $1.84 earnings per share, exceeding estimates, and announced a quarterly dividend increase from $0.21 to $0.22.
• Analysts have a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" for West Pharmaceutical Services, with a target price averaging around $320.71.

APG Asset Management N.V. raised its holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST - Free Report) by 8.7% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 1,562,139 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock after purchasing an additional 124,737 shares during the quarter. West Pharmaceutical Services makes up about 1.0% of APG Asset Management N.V.'s investment portfolio, making the stock its 21st largest position. APG Asset Management N.V. owned approximately 2.17% of West Pharmaceutical Services worth $323,766,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of WST. First Trust Advisors LP raised its position in West Pharmaceutical Services by 175.4% in the 4th quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 41,673 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $13,650,000 after purchasing an additional 26,539 shares during the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP raised its position in West Pharmaceutical Services by 0.7% in the 4th quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 274,833 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $90,028,000 after purchasing an additional 1,999 shares during the last quarter. MML Investors Services LLC raised its position in West Pharmaceutical Services by 9.3% in the 4th quarter. MML Investors Services LLC now owns 20,242 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $6,630,000 after purchasing an additional 1,725 shares during the last quarter. TD Waterhouse Canada Inc. raised its position in West Pharmaceutical Services by 18.3% in the 4th quarter. TD Waterhouse Canada Inc. now owns 2,241 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $734,000 after purchasing an additional 347 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Stifel Financial Corp raised its position in West Pharmaceutical Services by 0.3% in the 4th quarter. Stifel Financial Corp now owns 41,354 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $13,547,000 after purchasing an additional 131 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 93.90% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms have recently weighed in on WST. Wall Street Zen upgraded West Pharmaceutical Services from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Saturday, July 26th. Evercore ISI boosted their target price on West Pharmaceutical Services from $275.00 to $350.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Friday, July 25th. UBS Group boosted their target price 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. Barclays began coverage on West Pharmaceutical Services in a research report on Tuesday, June 24th. They set an "equal weight" rating and a $245.00 target price for the company. Finally, Citigroup restated a "buy" rating on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in a research report on Thursday, May 22nd. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have issued a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, West Pharmaceutical Services has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $320.71.

West Pharmaceutical Services Trading Up 0.7%

NYSE WST traded up $1.67 on Wednesday, reaching $246.17. The company had a trading volume of 292,163 shares, compared to its average volume of 836,427. The stock's 50 day moving average is $233.11 and its 200-day moving average is $224.26. The stock has a market cap of $17.70 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 36.85, a PEG ratio of 4.39 and a beta of 1.05. The company has a quick ratio of 2.08, a current ratio of 2.78 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.07. West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. has a 52 week low of $187.43 and a 52 week 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 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.51 by $0.33. The business had revenue of $766.50 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $725.11 million. West Pharmaceutical Services had a return on equity of 18.43% and a net margin of 16.48%.The firm's revenue was up 9.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $1.52 earnings per share. West Pharmaceutical Services has set its FY 2025 guidance at 6.650-6.850 EPS. Equities analysts predict that West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. will post 6.62 earnings per share for the current 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 issued a $0.22 dividend. This is a boost from West Pharmaceutical Services's previous quarterly dividend of $0.21. This represents a $0.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.4%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, November 12th. West Pharmaceutical Services's dividend payout ratio is currently 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.