West Pharmaceutical Services (NYSE:WST) Raised to “Strong-Buy” at Rothschild Redb

West Pharmaceutical Services (NYSE:WST) was upgraded by analysts at Rothschild Redb to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note issued to investors on Monday,Zacks.com reports.

A number of other research firms have also weighed in on WST. Redburn Partners set a $311.00 target price on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in a report on Monday. UBS Group upped their price target 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. Wall Street Zen upgraded West Pharmaceutical Services from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Saturday, July 26th. Barclays began coverage on West Pharmaceutical Services in a report on Tuesday, June 24th. They set an “equal weight” rating and a $245.00 target price for the company. Finally, Evercore ISI lifted their price target on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services from $275.00 to $350.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, July 25th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have given a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $318.56.

West Pharmaceutical Services Stock Performance

NYSE:WST opened at $258.32 on Monday. 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 has a fifty-two week low of $187.43 and a fifty-two week high of $352.33. The firm has a market cap of $18.58 billion, a PE ratio of 38.67, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.57 and a beta of 1.05. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $242.52 and a 200-day moving average price of $225.84.

West Pharmaceutical Services (NYSE:WST) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 24th. The medical instruments supplier reported $1.84 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.51 by $0.33. The company had revenue of $766.50 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $725.11 million. West Pharmaceutical Services had a net margin of 16.48% and a return on equity of 18.43%. The firm’s revenue was up 9.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $1.52 EPS. West Pharmaceutical Services has set its FY 2025 guidance at 6.650-6.850 EPS. Equities research analysts predict that West Pharmaceutical Services will post 6.62 earnings per share for the current year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On West Pharmaceutical Services

A number of hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in WST. Generation Investment Management LLP bought a new position in West Pharmaceutical Services during the 2nd quarter valued at about $255,072,000. Durable Capital Partners LP raised its holdings in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 146.8% during the first quarter. Durable Capital Partners LP now owns 1,573,119 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $352,190,000 after purchasing an additional 935,721 shares during the last quarter. Norges Bank bought a new position in West Pharmaceutical Services during the second quarter valued at approximately $200,813,000. Brown Advisory Inc. boosted its holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services by 28.1% in the first quarter. Brown Advisory Inc. now owns 3,268,478 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $731,747,000 after purchasing an additional 716,442 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Kayne Anderson Rudnick Investment Management LLC grew its position in West Pharmaceutical Services by 57.8% in the 1st quarter. Kayne Anderson Rudnick Investment Management LLC now owns 997,882 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $223,406,000 after purchasing an additional 365,575 shares during the period. 93.90% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.