Ninety One UK Ltd Sells 2,707 Shares of West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. $WST

Ninety One UK Ltd trimmed its position in West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST) by 2.7% during the third quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 97,918 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after selling 2,707 shares during the quarter. Ninety One UK Ltd owned 0.14% of West Pharmaceutical Services worth $25,687,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Generation Investment Management LLP acquired a new stake in West Pharmaceutical Services during the second quarter worth approximately $255,072,000. Norges Bank bought a new stake in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in the 2nd quarter worth $200,813,000. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC lifted its position in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 43.5% during the 1st quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC now owns 1,134,706 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $254,038,000 after buying an additional 343,997 shares in the last quarter. ProShare Advisors LLC boosted its position in West Pharmaceutical Services by 46.8% in the second quarter. ProShare Advisors LLC now owns 738,368 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $161,555,000 after purchasing an additional 235,272 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Amundi boosted its holdings in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 83.4% in the 2nd quarter. Amundi now owns 502,831 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $111,236,000 after buying an additional 228,696 shares during the last quarter. 93.90% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages have weighed in on WST. Wall Street Zen raised West Pharmaceutical Services from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Saturday, December 20th. Barclays upped their price objective on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services from $275.00 to $325.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Monday, October 27th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft set a $345.00 price target on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, October 24th. TD Cowen began coverage on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in a research note on Wednesday, October 29th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $350.00 target price on the stock. Finally, Evercore ISI increased 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, eight have assigned a Buy rating and four have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $342.20.

West Pharmaceutical Services Price Performance

NYSE WST opened at $275.53 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.07, a current ratio of 2.87 and a quick ratio of 2.18. West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. has a 1-year low of $187.43 and a 1-year high of $348.90. The business’s fifty day moving average price is $274.54 and its 200-day moving average price is $255.38. The stock has a market capitalization of $19.82 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 40.82, a PEG ratio of 4.11 and a beta of 1.17.

West Pharmaceutical Services (NYSE:WST) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, October 23rd. The medical instruments supplier reported $1.96 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.67 by $0.29. West Pharmaceutical Services had a return on equity of 18.16% and a net margin of 16.29%.The firm had revenue of $804.60 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $788.42 million. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $1.85 earnings per share. The business’s revenue was up 7.7% compared to the same quarter last year. West Pharmaceutical Services has set its FY 2025 guidance at 7.060-7.110 EPS. On average, equities analysts predict that West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. will post 6.62 earnings per share for the current year.

West Pharmaceutical Services Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, February 4th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, January 28th will be paid a $0.22 dividend. This represents a $0.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.3%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, January 28th. West Pharmaceutical Services’s dividend payout ratio is currently 13.04%.

West Pharmaceutical Services Profile

West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc is a global developer and manufacturer of components, systems and services that enable the containment and delivery of injectable drugs. The company focuses on high-quality packaging and delivery solutions for the pharmaceutical and biotech industries, producing primary drug packaging components and specialized drug delivery devices used for vaccines, biologics and other injectable therapies. West is known for its elastomeric closures, seals and polymer components that maintain sterility and compatibility with sensitive drug formulations.

In addition to component manufacturing, West provides engineered delivery systems and support services across the product lifecycle.