William Blair Investment Management LLC Purchases 13,314 Shares of West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. $WST

William Blair Investment Management LLC lifted its position in West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST - Free Report) by 3.8% during the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 366,152 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock after purchasing an additional 13,314 shares during the period. William Blair Investment Management LLC owned about 0.51% of West Pharmaceutical Services worth $80,114,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Zions Bancorporation National Association UT bought a new position in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in the first quarter worth approximately $25,000. Quarry LP bought a new stake in West Pharmaceutical Services in the first quarter valued at $27,000. First Horizon Advisors Inc. boosted its holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services by 85.0% in the first quarter. First Horizon Advisors Inc. now owns 185 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $41,000 after acquiring an additional 85 shares in the last quarter. Cromwell Holdings LLC boosted its holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services by 587.5% in the second quarter. Cromwell Holdings LLC now owns 220 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $48,000 after acquiring an additional 188 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Brooklyn Investment Group boosted its holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services by 83.3% in the first quarter. Brooklyn Investment Group now owns 275 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $61,000 after acquiring an additional 125 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 93.90% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages have commented on WST. UBS Group raised their price objective on West Pharmaceutical Services from $285.00 to $320.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, July 25th. Rothschild & Co Redburn began coverage on West Pharmaceutical Services in a research report on Monday, September 15th. They set a "buy" rating and a $311.00 price objective for the company. Barclays raised their price objective on West Pharmaceutical Services from $260.00 to $275.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Thursday, October 2nd. Wall Street Zen raised West Pharmaceutical Services from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Saturday, July 26th. Finally, Evercore ISI set a $350.00 price objective on West Pharmaceutical Services in a research report on Tuesday, October 7th. Two 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's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, West Pharmaceutical Services currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $321.89.

West Pharmaceutical Services Price Performance

WST opened at $270.25 on Friday. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $254.94 and a 200-day moving average price of $231.43. 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 firm has a market cap of $19.43 billion, a PE ratio of 40.46, a P/E/G ratio of 4.80 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.

West Pharmaceutical Services (NYSE:WST - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 24th. The medical instruments supplier reported $1.84 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.51 by $0.33. The firm had revenue of $766.50 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates 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% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $1.52 EPS. West Pharmaceutical Services has set its FY 2025 guidance at 6.650-6.850 EPS. Sell-side 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 firm 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 represents a $0.88 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.3%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, November 12th. This is a positive change from West Pharmaceutical Services's previous quarterly dividend of $0.21. West Pharmaceutical Services's dividend payout ratio is 12.57%.

West Pharmaceutical Services Company 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.

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest and most accurate reporting. This story was reviewed by MarketBeat's editorial team prior to publication. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.