Norden Group LLC Sells 1,432 Shares of West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. $WST

Norden Group LLC cut its stake in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST) by 26.5% in the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 3,972 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after selling 1,432 shares during the period. Norden Group LLC’s holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services were worth $869,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Zions Bancorporation National Association UT acquired a new position in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services during the 1st quarter worth about $25,000. Quarry LP bought a new position in West Pharmaceutical Services during the 1st quarter worth approximately $27,000. First Horizon Advisors Inc. grew its holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services by 85.0% during 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 during the period. Opal Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new position in West Pharmaceutical Services during the first quarter valued at approximately $53,000. Finally, Whipplewood Advisors LLC increased its stake in West Pharmaceutical Services by 248.0% in the first quarter. Whipplewood Advisors LLC now owns 261 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $58,000 after purchasing an additional 186 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 93.90% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages have recently weighed in on WST. Wall Street Zen raised shares of West Pharmaceutical Services from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Saturday, July 26th. Evercore ISI boosted their target price on West Pharmaceutical Services from $275.00 to $350.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, July 25th. Redburn Partners set a $311.00 price target on West Pharmaceutical Services in a report on Monday, September 15th. Barclays started coverage on West Pharmaceutical Services in a report on Tuesday, June 24th. They set an “equal weight” rating and a $245.00 price objective on the stock. Finally, UBS Group increased their target price on West Pharmaceutical Services from $285.00 to $320.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, July 25th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have given a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, West Pharmaceutical Services presently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $318.56.

West Pharmaceutical Services Stock Up 3.5%

NYSE:WST opened at $259.70 on Thursday. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $246.06 and a 200 day simple moving average of $226.91. West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. has a 52-week low of $187.43 and a 52-week high of $352.33. The company has a market cap of $18.68 billion, a PE ratio of 38.88, a PEG ratio of 4.45 and a beta of 1.05. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.07, a quick ratio of 2.08 and a current ratio of 2.78.

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. West Pharmaceutical Services had a return on equity of 18.43% and a net margin of 16.48%.The firm had revenue of $766.50 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $725.11 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $1.52 EPS. The business’s revenue was up 9.2% on a year-over-year basis. West Pharmaceutical Services has set its FY 2025 guidance at 6.650-6.850 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts expect that West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. will post 6.62 EPS for the current fiscal year.

West Pharmaceutical Services Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, November 19th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, November 12th will be paid a dividend of $0.22 per share. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, November 12th. This represents a $0.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.3%. This is a positive change from West Pharmaceutical Services’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.21. West Pharmaceutical Services’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 12.57%.

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.