West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. $WST Shares Sold by Pitcairn Co.

Pitcairn Co. lowered its stake in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST) by 31.6% during the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 8,637 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after selling 3,991 shares during the period. Pitcairn Co.’s holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services were worth $1,890,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Generation Investment Management LLP purchased a new position in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in the 2nd quarter worth $255,072,000. Durable Capital Partners LP increased its stake in West Pharmaceutical Services by 146.8% during the first quarter. Durable Capital Partners LP now owns 1,573,119 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $352,190,000 after acquiring an additional 935,721 shares during the last quarter. Norges Bank purchased a new position in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in the 2nd quarter worth about $200,813,000. Kayne Anderson Rudnick Investment Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 57.8% in the 1st quarter. Kayne Anderson Rudnick Investment Management LLC now owns 997,882 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $223,406,000 after purchasing an additional 365,575 shares in the last quarter. Finally, UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC grew its holdings in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 43.5% during the 1st quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC now owns 1,134,706 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $254,038,000 after purchasing an additional 343,997 shares during the period. 93.90% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts recently commented on the stock. Rothschild Redb upgraded shares of West Pharmaceutical Services to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Monday, September 15th. Cowen started coverage on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in a research note on Wednesday, October 29th. They issued a “buy” rating on the stock. Rothschild & Co Redburn assumed coverage on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in a report on Monday, September 15th. They set a “buy” rating and a $311.00 target price on the stock. Evercore ISI upped their price target on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services from $350.00 to $390.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 23rd. Finally, KeyCorp raised their price objective on West Pharmaceutical Services from $325.00 to $350.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, October 24th. Two research 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’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $342.20.

West Pharmaceutical Services Price Performance

Shares of WST stock opened at $267.03 on Monday. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $273.72 and a 200-day simple moving average of $250.42. The company has a market capitalization of $19.21 billion, a PE ratio of 39.56, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.14 and a beta of 1.17. West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. has a twelve month low of $187.43 and a twelve month high of $348.90. 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 (NYSE:WST) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 23rd. The medical instruments supplier reported $1.96 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.67 by $0.29. The firm had revenue of $804.60 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $788.42 million. West Pharmaceutical Services had a net margin of 16.29% and a return on equity of 18.16%. The firm’s revenue was up 7.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $1.85 EPS. West Pharmaceutical Services has set its FY 2025 guidance at 7.060-7.110 EPS. Equities research analysts anticipate that West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. will post 6.62 earnings per share for the current fiscal 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 issued a dividend of $0.22 per share. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, January 28th. This represents a $0.88 annualized dividend 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 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.