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

West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST) has been assigned an average recommendation of “Buy” from the eleven ratings firms that are currently covering the stock, MarketBeat reports. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation, seven have assigned a buy recommendation and two have assigned a strong buy recommendation to the company. The average 12 month target price among analysts that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $318.5556.

A number of equities analysts recently weighed in on the company. Rothschild & Co Redburn assumed coverage on West Pharmaceutical Services in a report on Monday. They issued a “buy” rating and a $311.00 price target for the company. Citigroup reissued a “buy” rating on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in a report on Thursday, May 22nd. Evercore ISI increased their target price on West Pharmaceutical Services from $275.00 to $350.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, July 25th. UBS Group increased their target price on West Pharmaceutical Services from $285.00 to $320.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, July 25th. Finally, Barclays initiated coverage on West Pharmaceutical Services in a report on Tuesday, June 24th. They set an “equal weight” rating and a $245.00 target price for the company.

West Pharmaceutical Services Stock Performance

NYSE WST opened at $255.13 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $18.35 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 38.19, a PEG ratio of 4.55 and a beta of 1.05. West Pharmaceutical Services has a twelve month low of $187.43 and a twelve month high of $352.33. 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 50-day moving average of $243.64 and a 200 day moving average of $226.24.

West Pharmaceutical Services (NYSE:WST) last released its quarterly 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. The company had revenue of $766.50 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $725.11 million. West Pharmaceutical Services had a return on equity of 18.43% and a net margin of 16.48%.West Pharmaceutical Services’s quarterly revenue was up 9.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $1.52 EPS. West Pharmaceutical Services has set its FY 2025 guidance at 6.650-6.850 EPS. Sell-side analysts anticipate that West Pharmaceutical Services will post 6.62 EPS for the current fiscal year.

West Pharmaceutical Services Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced 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. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, November 12th. This is an increase from West Pharmaceutical Services’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.21. This represents a $0.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.3%. West Pharmaceutical Services’s payout ratio is currently 12.57%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On West Pharmaceutical Services

A number of hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Zions Bancorporation National Association UT purchased a new stake in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in the first quarter valued at approximately $25,000. CYBER HORNET ETFs LLC purchased a new stake in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in the second quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Quarry LP purchased a new stake in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in the first quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Vermillion & White Wealth Management Group LLC grew its position in shares of 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 in the last quarter. Finally, First Horizon Advisors Inc. grew its position in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 85.0% in the first quarter. First Horizon Advisors Inc. now owns 185 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $41,000 after purchasing an additional 85 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 93.90% of the company’s stock.

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.