West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. $WST Shares Purchased by Pallas Capital Advisors LLC

Pallas Capital Advisors LLC grew its position in West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST) by 1.0% in the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 6,333 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after buying an additional 62 shares during the quarter. Pallas Capital Advisors LLC’s holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services were worth $1,386,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Zions Bancorporation National Association UT acquired a new stake in West Pharmaceutical Services in the 1st quarter valued at about $25,000. Quarry LP purchased a new stake in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in the first quarter valued at about $27,000. First Horizon Advisors Inc. raised 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 worth $41,000 after purchasing an additional 85 shares during the last quarter. Opal Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services during the 1st quarter worth approximately $53,000. Finally, Whipplewood Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 248.0% during the 1st quarter. Whipplewood Advisors LLC now owns 261 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $58,000 after purchasing an additional 186 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 93.90% of the company’s stock.

West Pharmaceutical Services Stock Down 0.6%

NYSE WST opened at $255.13 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $18.35 billion, a PE ratio of 38.19, a P/E/G ratio of 4.55 and a beta of 1.05. West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $187.43 and a fifty-two week high of $352.33. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $243.64 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $226.24. The company has a quick ratio of 2.08, a current ratio of 2.78 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.07.

West Pharmaceutical Services (NYSE:WST) last posted its earnings results 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. West Pharmaceutical Services had a net margin of 16.48% and a return on equity of 18.43%. The business had revenue of $766.50 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $725.11 million. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $1.52 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 9.2% compared to the same quarter last year. West Pharmaceutical Services has set its FY 2025 guidance at 6.650-6.850 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. will post 6.62 EPS for the current fiscal year.

West Pharmaceutical Services Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, November 19th. Investors of record on Wednesday, November 12th will be paid a $0.22 dividend. This represents a $0.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.3%. This is a boost from West Pharmaceutical Services’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.21. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, November 12th. West Pharmaceutical Services’s payout ratio is presently 12.57%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

WST has been the subject of several recent research reports. Wall Street Zen raised West Pharmaceutical Services from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research 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 objective on the stock. Rothschild Redb upgraded shares of West Pharmaceutical Services to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Monday. Redburn Partners set a $311.00 price objective on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in a research report on Monday. Finally, Evercore ISI boosted their price objective on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services from $275.00 to $350.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, July 25th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have given a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, West Pharmaceutical Services currently has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $318.56.

West Pharmaceutical Services 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.