West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (WST) To Go Ex-Dividend on January 28th

West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST) announced a quarterly dividend on Tuesday, December 9th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, January 28th will be given a dividend of 0.22 per share by the medical instruments supplier on Wednesday, February 4th. This represents a c) annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.4%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, January 28th.

West Pharmaceutical Services has increased its dividend by an average of 0.1%per year over the last three years. West Pharmaceutical Services has a payout ratio of 12.4% meaning its dividend is sufficiently covered by earnings. Equities analysts expect West Pharmaceutical Services to earn $7.86 per share next year, which means the company should continue to be able to cover its $0.88 annual dividend with an expected future payout ratio of 11.2%.

West Pharmaceutical Services Stock Performance

NYSE WST opened at $236.78 on Monday. The company has a market cap of $17.03 billion, a P/E ratio of 35.08, a PEG ratio of 3.26 and a beta of 1.17. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $270.73 and a 200 day simple moving average of $261.11. The company has a current ratio of 2.87, a quick ratio of 2.18 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.07. West Pharmaceutical Services has a 12-month low of $187.43 and a 12-month high of $348.90.

West Pharmaceutical Services (NYSE:WST) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 23rd. The medical instruments supplier reported $1.96 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.67 by $0.29. The firm had revenue of $804.60 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $788.42 million. West Pharmaceutical Services had a net margin of 16.29% and a return on equity of 18.16%. The business’s revenue was up 7.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $1.85 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts predict that West Pharmaceutical Services will post 6.62 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On West Pharmaceutical Services

Institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. CYBER HORNET ETFs LLC purchased a new stake in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Vermillion & White Wealth Management Group LLC lifted its position in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 193.9% during the second quarter. Vermillion & White Wealth Management Group LLC now owns 144 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $32,000 after acquiring an additional 95 shares in the last quarter. SJS Investment Consulting Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 1,842.9% in the third quarter. SJS Investment Consulting Inc. now owns 136 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $36,000 after acquiring an additional 129 shares during the period. CVA Family Office LLC grew its position in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 573.3% in the second quarter. CVA Family Office LLC now owns 202 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $44,000 after purchasing an additional 172 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Pilgrim Partners Asia Pte Ltd purchased a new position in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in the third quarter valued at $47,000. 93.90% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About West Pharmaceutical Services

West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc is a global developer and manufacturer of components, systems and services that enable the containment and delivery of injectable drugs. The company focuses on high-quality packaging and delivery solutions for the pharmaceutical and biotech industries, producing primary drug packaging components and specialized drug delivery devices used for vaccines, biologics and other injectable therapies. West is known for its elastomeric closures, seals and polymer components that maintain sterility and compatibility with sensitive drug formulations.

In addition to component manufacturing, West provides engineered delivery systems and support services across the product lifecycle.