Blue Trust Inc. Purchases 103 Shares of West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. $WST

Blue Trust Inc. boosted its position in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST) by 55.4% during the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 289 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after acquiring an additional 103 shares during the period. Blue Trust Inc.’s holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services were worth $63,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Zions Bancorporation National Association UT bought a new position in West Pharmaceutical Services during the first quarter valued at about $25,000. Quarry LP bought a new stake in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $27,000. First Horizon Advisors Inc. grew its stake in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 85.0% in the 1st 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. Cromwell Holdings LLC grew its stake in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 587.5% in the 2nd quarter. Cromwell Holdings LLC now owns 220 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $48,000 after purchasing an additional 188 shares during the period. Finally, Brooklyn Investment Group grew its stake in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 83.3% in the 1st quarter. Brooklyn Investment Group now owns 275 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $61,000 after purchasing an additional 125 shares during the period. 93.90% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

West Pharmaceutical Services Stock Performance

WST stock opened at $270.25 on Friday. The business’s fifty day moving average is $254.94 and its 200-day moving average is $231.36. The company has a quick ratio of 2.08, a current ratio of 2.78 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.07. The company has a market cap of $19.43 billion, a P/E ratio of 40.46, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.74 and a beta of 1.07. West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. has a twelve month low of $187.43 and a twelve month high of $352.33.

West Pharmaceutical Services (NYSE:WST) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 24th. The medical instruments supplier reported $1.84 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.51 by $0.33. The company had revenue of $766.50 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $725.11 million. West Pharmaceutical Services had a return on equity of 18.43% and a net margin of 16.48%.The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 9.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $1.52 EPS. West Pharmaceutical Services has set its FY 2025 guidance at 6.650-6.850 EPS. Equities research analysts forecast that West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. will post 6.62 EPS for the current year.

West Pharmaceutical Services Increases Dividend

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

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms have recently weighed in on WST. Rothschild & Co Redburn began coverage on West Pharmaceutical Services in a research note on Monday, September 15th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $311.00 price objective on the stock. Rothschild Redb upgraded West Pharmaceutical Services to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Monday, September 15th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in a research note on Tuesday. Redburn Partners set a $311.00 price objective on West Pharmaceutical Services in a research note on Monday, September 15th. Finally, Wall Street Zen raised West Pharmaceutical Services from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Saturday, July 26th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have given a Buy rating and four have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, West Pharmaceutical Services currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $321.89.

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.