Swiss National Bank Purchases 14,600 Shares of West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. $WST

Swiss National Bank lifted its position in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST) by 7.1% during the second quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 218,800 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after purchasing an additional 14,600 shares during the period. Swiss National Bank owned 0.30% of West Pharmaceutical Services worth $47,873,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in WST. SYM FINANCIAL Corp increased its stake in West Pharmaceutical Services by 5.1% in the 2nd quarter. SYM FINANCIAL Corp now owns 1,027 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $225,000 after buying an additional 50 shares during the last quarter. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust increased its holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services by 4.0% during the second quarter. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust now owns 1,318 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $288,000 after buying an additional 51 shares during the last quarter. MJP Associates Inc. ADV raised its position in West Pharmaceutical Services by 2.7% in the second quarter. MJP Associates Inc. ADV now owns 1,970 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $431,000 after acquiring an additional 52 shares during the period. Horizon Investments LLC lifted its stake in West Pharmaceutical Services by 5.8% in the first quarter. Horizon Investments LLC now owns 1,048 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $234,000 after purchasing an additional 57 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Pallas Capital Advisors LLC grew its holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services by 1.0% during the second quarter. Pallas Capital Advisors LLC now owns 6,333 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $1,386,000 after purchasing an additional 62 shares during the period. 93.90% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

West Pharmaceutical Services Trading Up 1.0%

WST stock opened at $273.71 on Tuesday. The company has a market capitalization of $19.69 billion, a PE ratio of 40.55, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.09 and a beta of 1.08. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.07, a quick ratio of 2.18 and a current ratio of 2.87. West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. has a one year low of $187.43 and a one year high of $348.90. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $269.66 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $244.21.

West Pharmaceutical Services (NYSE:WST) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 23rd. The medical instruments supplier reported $1.96 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.67 by $0.29. The company had revenue of $804.60 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations 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% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $1.85 EPS. West Pharmaceutical Services has set its FY 2025 guidance at 7.060-7.110 EPS. As a group, analysts predict that West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. will post 6.62 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts have issued reports on the company. Zacks Research lowered West Pharmaceutical Services from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, September 23rd. Rothschild & Co Redburn initiated coverage on West Pharmaceutical Services in a report on Monday, September 15th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $311.00 price objective for the company. Barclays boosted their price objective on West Pharmaceutical Services from $275.00 to $325.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Monday, October 27th. Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c)” rating on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in a report on Tuesday, October 14th. Finally, Evercore ISI boosted their price objective on West Pharmaceutical Services from $350.00 to $390.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, October 23rd. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have assigned a Buy rating and four have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $349.20.

About West Pharmaceutical Services

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.