Federated Hermes Inc. Lowers Position in West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. $WST

Federated Hermes Inc. decreased its holdings in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST) by 3.1% in the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 224,667 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after selling 7,174 shares during the period. Federated Hermes Inc. owned approximately 0.31% of West Pharmaceutical Services worth $49,157,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in WST. Dynamic Technology Lab Private Ltd purchased a new position in West Pharmaceutical Services in the 1st quarter worth approximately $329,000. Polar Asset Management Partners Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 106.5% during 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 acquiring an additional 27,370 shares during the last quarter. Sivik Global Healthcare LLC grew its position in West Pharmaceutical Services by 20.0% in the second quarter. Sivik Global Healthcare LLC now owns 15,000 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $3,282,000 after acquiring an additional 2,500 shares in the last quarter. First National Bank Sioux Falls grew its position in West Pharmaceutical Services by 121.4% in the second quarter. First National Bank Sioux Falls now owns 4,727 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $1,034,000 after acquiring an additional 2,592 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. increased its stake in West Pharmaceutical Services by 15.6% in the second quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. now owns 14,774 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $3,233,000 after acquiring an additional 1,990 shares during the last quarter. 93.90% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

West Pharmaceutical Services Stock Performance

NYSE:WST opened at $268.86 on Tuesday. 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 fifty-two week low of $187.43 and a fifty-two week high of $348.90. The firm has a market cap of $19.34 billion, a PE ratio of 39.83, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.33 and a beta of 1.17. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $273.87 and a 200-day moving average price of $248.73.

West Pharmaceutical Services (NYSE:WST) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, October 23rd. The medical instruments supplier reported $1.96 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.67 by $0.29. The company had revenue of $804.60 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate 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 for the quarter was up 7.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $1.85 earnings per share. West Pharmaceutical Services has set its FY 2025 guidance at 7.060-7.110 EPS. Equities research analysts predict that West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. will post 6.62 earnings per share for the current year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts have issued reports on the company. Redburn Partners set a $311.00 price target on West Pharmaceutical Services in a research note on Monday, September 15th. TD Cowen began coverage on West Pharmaceutical Services in a research report on Wednesday, October 29th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $350.00 target price for the company. UBS Group upped their target price on West Pharmaceutical Services from $320.00 to $355.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, October 24th. Morgan Stanley started coverage on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in a research note on Monday, December 1st. They set an “equal weight” rating and a $285.00 price target on the stock. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft set a $345.00 price objective on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, October 24th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have issued a Buy rating and five have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, West Pharmaceutical Services has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $343.36.

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.