Advisors Asset Management Inc. Has $643,000 Holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. $WST

Advisors Asset Management Inc. trimmed its holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST) by 2.2% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 2,872 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after selling 65 shares during the quarter. Advisors Asset Management Inc.’s holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services were worth $643,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Zions Bancorporation National Association UT acquired a new position in West Pharmaceutical Services during the 1st quarter valued at $25,000. Quarry LP bought a new position in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services during the 1st quarter worth about $27,000. First Horizon Advisors Inc. raised its position in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 85.0% during the first quarter. First Horizon Advisors Inc. now owns 185 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $41,000 after buying an additional 85 shares during the last quarter. Opal Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services during the first quarter valued at about $53,000. Finally, Whipplewood Advisors LLC lifted its stake in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 248.0% in the first quarter. Whipplewood Advisors LLC now owns 261 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $58,000 after buying an additional 186 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 93.90% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts have commented on WST shares. Barclays began coverage on West Pharmaceutical Services in a report on Tuesday, June 24th. They issued an “equal weight” rating and a $245.00 price target for the company. UBS Group boosted their price objective on West Pharmaceutical Services from $285.00 to $320.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, July 25th. Citigroup restated a “buy” rating on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in a research note on Thursday, May 22nd. Evercore ISI raised their target price on West Pharmaceutical Services from $275.00 to $350.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, July 25th. Finally, Wall Street Zen raised shares of West Pharmaceutical Services from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Saturday, July 26th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have given a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $320.71.

West Pharmaceutical Services Stock Performance

West Pharmaceutical Services stock opened at $255.58 on Thursday. The firm has a market capitalization of $18.38 billion, a P/E ratio of 38.26, a P/E/G ratio of 4.47 and a beta of 1.05. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $239.57 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $224.86. West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. has a 52-week low of $187.43 and a 52-week high of $352.33. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.07, a current ratio of 2.78 and a quick ratio of 2.08.

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 analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.51 by $0.33. West Pharmaceutical Services had a net margin of 16.48% and a return on equity of 18.43%. The business had revenue of $766.50 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $725.11 million. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $1.52 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 9.2% on a year-over-year basis. West Pharmaceutical Services has set its FY 2025 guidance at 6.650-6.850 EPS. As a group, analysts anticipate that West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. will post 6.62 EPS for the current fiscal year.

West Pharmaceutical Services Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced 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 represents a $0.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.3%. This is an increase from West Pharmaceutical Services’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.21. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, November 12th. West Pharmaceutical Services’s dividend payout ratio is presently 12.57%.

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.