West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. $WST Shares Sold by US Bancorp DE

Key Points

• US Bancorp DE has reduced its stake in West Pharmaceutical Services by 29.0% in the second quarter, now holding 9,816 shares worth approximately $2.15 million.
• West Pharmaceutical's stock price target has been raised by Barclays to $275.00, with analysts generally rating it as a "Moderate Buy."
• The company plans to increase its quarterly dividend from $0.21 to $0.22 per share, reflecting a positive change as it approaches the ex-dividend date on November 12th.

US Bancorp DE lessened its stake in West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST - Free Report) by 29.0% in the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 9,816 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock after selling 4,003 shares during the quarter. US Bancorp DE's holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services were worth $2,148,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. Dynamic Technology Lab Private Ltd acquired a new position in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in the 1st quarter valued at about $329,000. DAVENPORT & Co LLC lifted its holdings 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 valued at $499,000 after buying an additional 1,136 shares during the period. Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. lifted 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 valued at $1,249,000 after buying an additional 1,437 shares during the period. Polar Asset Management Partners Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 106.5% in the 1st quarter. Polar Asset Management Partners Inc. now owns 53,070 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $11,881,000 after buying an additional 27,370 shares during the period. Finally, First National Bank Sioux Falls raised its holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services by 121.4% in the 2nd quarter. First National Bank Sioux Falls now owns 4,727 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $1,034,000 after purchasing an additional 2,592 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 93.90% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms recently weighed in on WST. Barclays upped their price target on West Pharmaceutical Services from $260.00 to $275.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a report on Thursday, October 2nd. Zacks Research cut West Pharmaceutical Services from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Tuesday, September 23rd. Rothschild Redb raised West Pharmaceutical Services to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Monday, September 15th. Rothschild & Co Redburn began coverage on West Pharmaceutical Services in a report on Monday, September 15th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $311.00 price target for the company. Finally, Redburn Partners set a $311.00 price target on West Pharmaceutical Services in a report on Monday, September 15th. 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. Based on data from MarketBeat, West Pharmaceutical Services has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $321.89.

West Pharmaceutical Services Price Performance

WST stock opened at $263.18 on Thursday. The firm has a market capitalization of $18.93 billion, a PE ratio of 39.40, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.64 and a beta of 1.07. West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. has a 1 year low of $187.43 and a 1 year 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 simple moving average of $253.84 and a 200-day simple moving average of $230.72.

West Pharmaceutical Services (NYSE:WST - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 24th. The medical instruments supplier reported $1.84 earnings per share for the quarter, topping 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 company had revenue of $766.50 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $725.11 million. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $1.52 earnings per share. The firm's revenue for the quarter 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. Equities 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 disclosed 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. 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. This represents a $0.88 annualized dividend 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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