MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB Grows Stock Holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. $WST

MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB increased its stake in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST) by 100.0% during the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 318 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after buying an additional 159 shares during the quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB’s holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services were worth $70,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Zions Bancorporation National Association UT purchased a new position in West Pharmaceutical Services during the first quarter worth $25,000. Quarry LP purchased a new stake in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services during the 1st quarter valued at $27,000. First Horizon Advisors Inc. grew its stake in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 85.0% during the 1st 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 period. Opal Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services during the 1st quarter valued at $53,000. Finally, Whipplewood Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 248.0% during the 1st 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. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 93.90% of the company’s stock.

West Pharmaceutical Services Stock Performance

Shares of WST stock opened at $254.69 on Friday. West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $187.43 and a fifty-two week high of $352.33. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $244.20 and its two-hundred day moving average is $226.41. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.07, a current ratio of 2.78 and a quick ratio of 2.08. The firm has a market cap of $18.31 billion, a P/E ratio of 38.13, a PEG ratio of 4.52 and a beta of 1.05.

West Pharmaceutical Services (NYSE:WST) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 24th. The medical instruments supplier reported $1.84 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating 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 business had revenue of $766.50 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $725.11 million. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $1.52 EPS. The firm’s revenue 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. Analysts predict that West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. will post 6.62 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

West Pharmaceutical Services Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, November 19th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, November 12th will be paid 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 is Wednesday, November 12th. This represents a $0.88 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.3%. West Pharmaceutical Services’s dividend payout ratio is currently 12.57%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

WST has been the subject of several research reports. Rothschild & Co Redburn initiated coverage on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in a research note on Monday, September 15th. They set a “buy” rating and a $311.00 price objective for the company. UBS Group boosted their price objective on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services from $285.00 to $320.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, July 25th. Wall Street Zen raised shares of West Pharmaceutical Services from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Saturday, July 26th. Redburn Partners set a $311.00 price target on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in a research report on Monday, September 15th. Finally, Rothschild Redb raised shares of West Pharmaceutical Services to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Monday, September 15th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have given a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, West Pharmaceutical Services currently has an average rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $318.56.

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.