Blue Zone Wealth Advisors LLC Raises Holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. $WST

Blue Zone Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its stake in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST) by 2.7% in the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 28,360 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after acquiring an additional 745 shares during the quarter. West Pharmaceutical Services accounts for about 1.5% of Blue Zone Wealth Advisors LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 28th largest holding. Blue Zone Wealth Advisors LLC’s holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services were worth $6,205,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Dynamic Technology Lab Private Ltd purchased a new stake in West Pharmaceutical Services in the 1st quarter worth approximately $329,000. DAVENPORT & Co LLC lifted its holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services by 103.8% in the 1st quarter. DAVENPORT & Co LLC now owns 2,230 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $499,000 after buying an additional 1,136 shares during the period. Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. lifted its holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services by 34.7% in the 1st quarter. Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. now owns 5,581 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $1,249,000 after buying an additional 1,437 shares during the period. Polar Asset Management Partners Inc. lifted its holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services by 106.5% in the 1st quarter. Polar Asset Management Partners Inc. now owns 53,070 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $11,881,000 after buying an additional 27,370 shares during the period. Finally, First National Bank Sioux Falls lifted its holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services by 121.4% in the 2nd quarter. First National Bank Sioux Falls now owns 4,727 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $1,034,000 after buying an additional 2,592 shares during the period. 93.90% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

West Pharmaceutical Services Stock Down 0.6%

Shares of NYSE:WST opened at $262.10 on Friday. West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. has a 52-week low of $187.43 and a 52-week high of $352.33. The firm has a market capitalization of $18.85 billion, a P/E ratio of 39.24, a P/E/G ratio of 4.68 and a beta of 1.07. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $252.39 and a 200-day moving average price of $229.93. 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 announced its earnings results on Thursday, July 24th. The medical instruments supplier reported $1.84 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate 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 analyst estimates of $725.11 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $1.52 EPS. The business’s revenue 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, equities research analysts anticipate that West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. will post 6.62 EPS for the current fiscal year.

West Pharmaceutical Services Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, November 19th. Investors of record on Wednesday, November 12th will be given a dividend of $0.22 per share. This is a boost 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 yield of 0.3%. West Pharmaceutical Services’s dividend payout ratio is 12.57%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

WST has been the subject of several research analyst reports. Redburn Partners set a $311.00 price objective on West Pharmaceutical Services in a report on Monday, September 15th. Evercore ISI set a $350.00 price objective on West Pharmaceutical Services in a report on Tuesday. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c-)” rating on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in a report on Saturday, September 27th. Wall Street Zen upgraded West Pharmaceutical Services from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Saturday, July 26th. Finally, Rothschild & Co Redburn started coverage on West Pharmaceutical Services in a research report on Monday, September 15th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $311.00 target price for the company. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have issued a Buy rating and four have given a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $321.89.

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.