West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST) Given Average Recommendation of "Moderate Buy" by Brokerages

Key Points

• West Pharmaceutical Services has received a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" from thirteen brokerage firms, with an average 12-month price target of $321.89.
• The company reported $1.84 EPS for the last quarter, exceeding analysts' estimates of $1.51 and showcasing a revenue increase of 9.2% year-over-year.
• West Pharmaceutical Services has declared an increase in its quarterly dividend to $0.22 per share, reflecting a positive change from the previous $0.21 and a yield of 0.3%.

Shares of West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST - Get Free Report) have received a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" from the thirteen ratings firms that are presently covering the company, Marketbeat reports. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation, seven have given a buy recommendation and two have assigned a strong buy recommendation to the company. The average 12 month price target among brokers that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $321.8889.

Several brokerages have weighed in on WST. Redburn Partners set a $311.00 price objective on West Pharmaceutical Services in a research note on Monday, September 15th. Rothschild & Co Redburn began coverage on West Pharmaceutical Services in a research note on Monday, September 15th. They set a "buy" rating and a $311.00 price objective on the stock. Barclays boosted their price objective on 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. UBS Group boosted their price objective on West Pharmaceutical Services from $285.00 to $320.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, July 25th. Finally, Zacks Research cut West Pharmaceutical Services from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Tuesday, September 23rd.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On West Pharmaceutical Services

Several hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in WST. Boston Trust Walden Corp grew its holdings in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 4.7% in the first quarter. Boston Trust Walden Corp now owns 1,110 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $249,000 after purchasing an additional 50 shares during the last quarter. SYM FINANCIAL Corp grew its holdings in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 5.1% in the second quarter. SYM FINANCIAL Corp now owns 1,027 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $225,000 after purchasing an additional 50 shares during the last quarter. Benjamin Edwards Inc. grew its holdings in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 1.7% in the second quarter. Benjamin Edwards Inc. now owns 3,021 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $661,000 after purchasing an additional 50 shares during the last quarter. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust grew its holdings in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 4.0% in the second quarter. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust now owns 1,318 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $288,000 after purchasing an additional 51 shares during the last quarter. Finally, MJP Associates Inc. ADV grew its holdings in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 2.7% in the second quarter. MJP Associates Inc. ADV now owns 1,970 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $431,000 after purchasing an additional 52 shares during the last quarter. 93.90% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

West Pharmaceutical Services Stock Performance

NYSE:WST opened at $267.91 on Thursday. 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 has a 1 year low of $187.43 and a 1 year high of $352.33. The stock's 50 day simple moving average is $251.44 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $229.47. The company has a market cap of $19.27 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 40.11, a PEG ratio of 4.72 and a beta of 1.07.

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 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates 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 business had revenue of $766.50 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $725.11 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $1.52 EPS. The company's 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, equities analysts anticipate that West Pharmaceutical Services will post 6.62 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

West Pharmaceutical Services Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, November 19th. Investors of record on Wednesday, November 12th will be issued a dividend of $0.22 per share. 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 payout ratio is currently 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.

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