West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST) Receives Average Recommendation of "Moderate Buy" from Analysts

Key Points

• West Pharmaceutical Services has received an average recommendation of "Moderate Buy" from analysts, with two hold ratings, six buy ratings, and one strong buy rating.
• The company reported a quarterly EPS of $1.84, exceeding the analyst consensus estimate by $0.33, and had a year-over-year revenue growth of 9.2%.
• West Pharmaceutical Services announced an increase in its quarterly dividend to $0.22 per share, marking a boost from the previous $0.21 dividend.

Shares of West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST - Get Free Report) have received an average recommendation of "Moderate Buy" from the nine ratings firms that are presently covering the firm, MarketBeat.com reports. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, six have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. The average 12 month price objective among brokerages that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $320.7143.

A number of brokerages have recently commented on WST. Wall Street Zen raised West Pharmaceutical Services from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Saturday, July 26th. Barclays began coverage on West Pharmaceutical Services in a research note on Tuesday, June 24th. They set an "equal weight" rating and a $245.00 price target for the company. Citigroup reaffirmed a "buy" rating on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in a research note on Thursday, May 22nd. UBS Group increased their price target on West Pharmaceutical Services from $285.00 to $320.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, July 25th. Finally, Evercore ISI increased their price target on West Pharmaceutical Services from $275.00 to $350.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Friday, July 25th.

West Pharmaceutical Services Stock Performance

West Pharmaceutical Services stock opened at $253.50 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $18.23 billion, a PE ratio of 37.95, a P/E/G ratio of 4.68 and a beta of 1.05. West Pharmaceutical Services 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 company has a fifty day moving average price of $241.04 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $225.42.

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 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.51 by $0.33. The firm 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 period in the prior year, the business earned $1.52 EPS. West Pharmaceutical Services has set its FY 2025 guidance at 6.650-6.850 EPS. Research analysts expect that West Pharmaceutical Services 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. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, November 12th will be paid a dividend of $0.22 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, November 12th. This represents a $0.88 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.3%. This is a boost from West Pharmaceutical Services's previous quarterly dividend of $0.21. West Pharmaceutical Services's dividend payout ratio is 13.17%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On West Pharmaceutical Services

Several large investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Osaic Holdings Inc. boosted its stake in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 15.2% during the 2nd quarter. Osaic Holdings Inc. now owns 12,461 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $2,742,000 after acquiring an additional 1,647 shares in the last quarter. State of Wyoming purchased a new stake in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in the second quarter valued at $49,000. Hudson Bay Capital Management LP purchased a new stake in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in the second quarter valued at $373,000. Nomura Holdings Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 4.2% in the second quarter. Nomura Holdings Inc. now owns 5,246 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $1,148,000 after purchasing an additional 212 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Caxton Associates LLP purchased a new stake in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in the second quarter valued at $1,610,000. 93.90% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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.