Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio Has $5.16 Million Stock Position in West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. $WST

Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio reduced its position in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST) by 6.9% in the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 23,582 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after selling 1,738 shares during the period. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio’s holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services were worth $5,160,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in WST. Durable Capital Partners LP raised its position in 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 in the last quarter. Brown Advisory Inc. raised its position in West Pharmaceutical Services by 28.1% during the first quarter. Brown Advisory Inc. now owns 3,268,478 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $731,747,000 after purchasing an additional 716,442 shares in the last quarter. Kayne Anderson Rudnick Investment Management LLC raised its position in West Pharmaceutical Services by 57.8% during the first quarter. Kayne Anderson Rudnick Investment Management LLC now owns 997,882 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $223,406,000 after purchasing an additional 365,575 shares in the last quarter. Nuveen LLC acquired a new position in West Pharmaceutical Services during the first quarter valued at approximately $79,255,000. Finally, UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC raised its position in West Pharmaceutical Services by 43.5% during the first 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 valued at $254,038,000 after purchasing an additional 343,997 shares in the last quarter. 93.90% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

West Pharmaceutical Services Stock Performance

Shares of West Pharmaceutical Services stock opened at $260.04 on Tuesday. The company has a quick ratio of 2.08, a current ratio of 2.78 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.07. The stock has a market cap of $18.70 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 38.93, a P/E/G ratio of 4.64 and a beta of 1.05. The company’s fifty day moving average is $248.73 and its 200 day moving average is $227.57. West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. has a twelve month low of $187.43 and a twelve month high of $352.33.

West Pharmaceutical Services (NYSE:WST) last issued 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 business had revenue of $766.50 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $725.11 million. West Pharmaceutical Services had a net margin of 16.48% and a return on equity of 18.43%. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 9.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $1.52 earnings per share. West Pharmaceutical Services has set its FY 2025 guidance at 6.650-6.850 EPS. Sell-side analysts forecast that West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. will post 6.62 EPS for the current year.

West Pharmaceutical Services Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, November 19th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, November 12th will be given a dividend of $0.22 per share. This represents a $0.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.3%. This is an increase from West Pharmaceutical Services’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.21. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, November 12th. West Pharmaceutical Services’s payout ratio is currently 12.57%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts have commented on the stock. Rothschild Redb upgraded shares of West Pharmaceutical Services to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Monday, September 15th. Zacks Research cut shares of West Pharmaceutical Services from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, September 23rd. Evercore ISI boosted their target price on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services from $275.00 to $350.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, July 25th. UBS Group boosted their target price on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services from $285.00 to $320.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, July 25th. Finally, 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 target price on the stock. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have assigned a Buy rating and three have assigned a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $318.56.

West Pharmaceutical Services Company 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.