West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST) Receives $320.71 Average PT from Brokerages

Key Points

• West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. has received an average analyst rating of "Moderate Buy", with two analysts rating it as hold and six as buy, while the average 12-month price target is $320.71.
• The company reported strong quarterly earnings of $1.84 EPS, exceeding estimates of $1.51, alongside a revenue of $766.5 million for the quarter, up 9.2% year-over-year.
• West Pharmaceutical recently increased its quarterly dividend from $0.21 to $0.22 per share, reflecting a yield of 0.4% and a payout ratio of 12.57%.

West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST - Get Free Report) has been assigned a consensus recommendation of "Moderate Buy" from the nine brokerages that are covering the stock, Marketbeat reports. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation, six have given a buy recommendation and one has given a strong buy recommendation to the company. The average 1-year target price among analysts that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $320.7143.

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

Institutional Investors Weigh In On West Pharmaceutical Services

Institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Zions Bancorporation National Association UT purchased a new stake in West Pharmaceutical Services during the 1st quarter valued at approximately $25,000. CYBER HORNET ETFs LLC purchased a new stake in West Pharmaceutical Services during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Quarry LP purchased a new stake in West Pharmaceutical Services during the 1st quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Vermillion & White Wealth Management Group LLC boosted its position in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 193.9% during the 2nd quarter. Vermillion & White Wealth Management Group LLC now owns 144 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $32,000 after acquiring an additional 95 shares during the last quarter. Finally, First Horizon Advisors Inc. boosted its position in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 85.0% during the 1st 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 during the last quarter. 93.90% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

West Pharmaceutical Services Stock Performance

NYSE:WST traded up $4.94 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, reaching $247.57. The company's stock had a trading volume of 503,627 shares, compared to its average volume of 682,039. West Pharmaceutical Services has a 12-month low of $187.43 and a 12-month high of $352.33. The firm's fifty day moving average price is $232.14 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $226.13. The company has a current ratio of 2.78, a quick ratio of 2.08 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.07. The stock has a market cap of $17.80 billion, a P/E ratio of 37.06, a PEG ratio of 4.31 and a beta of 1.05.

West Pharmaceutical Services (NYSE:WST - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, July 24th. The medical instruments supplier reported $1.84 earnings per share 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 during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $725.11 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $1.52 EPS. West Pharmaceutical Services's revenue was up 9.2% on a year-over-year basis. West Pharmaceutical Services has set its FY 2025 guidance at 6.650-6.850 EPS. On average, equities analysts forecast that West Pharmaceutical Services will post 6.62 EPS for the current fiscal year.

West Pharmaceutical Services Increases Dividend

The business 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. This is an increase from West Pharmaceutical Services's previous quarterly dividend of $0.21. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, November 12th. This represents a $0.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.4%. West Pharmaceutical Services's payout ratio is 13.17%.

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.