Seilern Investment Management Ltd Sells 9,796 Shares of West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. $WST

Key Points

• Seilern Investment Management Ltd has reduced its stake in West Pharmaceutical Services by 2.2%, selling 9,796 shares, and now owns 431,561 shares, which represents 6.2% of its portfolio.
• West Pharmaceutical Services reported earnings per share (EPS) of $1.84 for the quarter, exceeding expectations, and revenue of $766.50 million, a 9.2% increase year-over-year.
• The company declared a quarterly dividend of $0.22 per share, reflecting an annualized dividend of $0.88, which marks an increase from the previous dividend of $0.21.

Seilern Investment Management Ltd trimmed its position in West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST - Free Report) by 2.2% during the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 431,561 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock after selling 9,796 shares during the period. West Pharmaceutical Services comprises 6.2% of Seilern Investment Management Ltd's portfolio, making the stock its 8th biggest holding. Seilern Investment Management Ltd owned about 0.60% of West Pharmaceutical Services worth $94,426,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors have also recently modified their holdings of WST. Boston Trust Walden Corp raised its stake in West Pharmaceutical Services by 4.7% during the 1st quarter. Boston Trust Walden Corp now owns 1,110 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $249,000 after acquiring an additional 50 shares during the last quarter. Nissay Asset Management Corp Japan ADV lifted its holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services by 0.6% in the fourth quarter. Nissay Asset Management Corp Japan ADV now owns 9,318 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $3,105,000 after acquiring an additional 55 shares during the last quarter. Formidable Asset Management LLC grew its position in West Pharmaceutical Services by 2.7% in the fourth quarter. Formidable Asset Management LLC now owns 2,067 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $677,000 after buying an additional 55 shares during the last quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui DS Asset Management Company Ltd lifted its stake in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 0.7% in the 1st quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui DS Asset Management Company Ltd now owns 7,887 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $1,766,000 after purchasing an additional 57 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Horizon Investments LLC increased its holdings in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 5.8% during the 1st quarter. Horizon Investments LLC now owns 1,048 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $234,000 after purchasing an additional 57 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 93.90% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

WST has been the topic of several research reports. Rothschild & Co Redburn assumed coverage on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in a report on Monday. They issued a "buy" rating and a $311.00 price objective on the stock. Citigroup reaffirmed a "buy" rating on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in a research note on Thursday, May 22nd. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of West Pharmaceutical Services from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Saturday, July 26th. Redburn Partners set a $311.00 price objective on West Pharmaceutical Services in a research note on Monday. Finally, Barclays assumed coverage on West Pharmaceutical Services in a research report on Tuesday, June 24th. They set an "equal weight" rating and a $245.00 price target on the stock. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have assigned a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of "Buy" and a consensus target price of $318.56.

West Pharmaceutical Services Trading Down 0.9%

West Pharmaceutical Services stock traded down $2.33 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $252.65. The company's stock had a trading volume of 154,477 shares, compared to its average volume of 812,458. 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. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $243.64 and a 200-day moving average price of $226.24. The stock has a market cap of $18.17 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 37.86, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.55 and a beta of 1.05.

West Pharmaceutical Services (NYSE:WST - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, July 24th. The medical instruments supplier reported $1.84 earnings per share for the quarter, beating 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 business had revenue of $766.50 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $725.11 million. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $1.52 EPS. The company'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 forecast that West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. will post 6.62 EPS for the current year.

West Pharmaceutical Services Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, November 19th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, November 12th will be issued a dividend of $0.22 per share. This is a boost from West Pharmaceutical Services's previous quarterly dividend of $0.21. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, November 12th. This represents a $0.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.3%. West Pharmaceutical Services's dividend payout ratio (DPR) 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.