Riverbridge Partners LLC Lowers Stock Holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. $WST

Riverbridge Partners LLC cut its holdings in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST) by 5.5% during the third quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 362,540 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after selling 20,980 shares during the period. West Pharmaceutical Services comprises about 1.6% of Riverbridge Partners LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its 19th biggest position. Riverbridge Partners LLC’s holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services were worth $95,105,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in WST. CYBER HORNET ETFs LLC acquired a new stake in West Pharmaceutical Services during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $25,000. Quarry LP acquired a new stake in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in the first quarter valued at $27,000. Vermillion & White Wealth Management Group LLC boosted its holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services by 193.9% in the second quarter. Vermillion & White Wealth Management Group LLC now owns 144 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $32,000 after purchasing an additional 95 shares during the period. CVA Family Office LLC grew its stake in West Pharmaceutical Services by 573.3% during the 2nd quarter. CVA Family Office LLC now owns 202 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $44,000 after purchasing an additional 172 shares in the last quarter. Finally, MUFG Securities EMEA plc purchased a new stake in West Pharmaceutical Services during the 2nd quarter worth about $47,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 93.90% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages have recently issued reports on WST. TD Cowen initiated coverage on West Pharmaceutical Services in a research note on Wednesday, October 29th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $350.00 price objective for the company. Rothschild & Co Redburn started coverage on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in a report on Monday, September 15th. They set a “buy” rating and a $311.00 price target for the company. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of West Pharmaceutical Services from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Saturday. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c)” rating on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in a research report on Tuesday, October 14th. Finally, Rothschild Redb raised West Pharmaceutical Services to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Monday, September 15th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have given a Buy rating and four have given a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, West Pharmaceutical Services currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $342.20.

West Pharmaceutical Services Stock Up 1.4%

West Pharmaceutical Services stock opened at $272.31 on Monday. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $274.12 and a 200-day simple moving average of $252.50. The company has a market capitalization of $19.59 billion, a P/E ratio of 40.34, a PEG ratio of 4.21 and a beta of 1.17. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.07, a quick ratio of 2.18 and a current ratio of 2.87. West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $187.43 and a fifty-two week high of $348.90.

West Pharmaceutical Services (NYSE:WST) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 23rd. The medical instruments supplier reported $1.96 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.67 by $0.29. The company had revenue of $804.60 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $788.42 million. West Pharmaceutical Services had a return on equity of 18.16% and a net margin of 16.29%.The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 7.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $1.85 earnings per share. West Pharmaceutical Services has set its FY 2025 guidance at 7.060-7.110 EPS. Equities research analysts expect that West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. will post 6.62 earnings per share for the current year.

West Pharmaceutical Services Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, February 4th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, January 28th will be paid a $0.22 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, January 28th. This represents a $0.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.3%. West Pharmaceutical Services’s payout ratio is currently 13.04%.

West Pharmaceutical Services Company Profile

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.