Signaturefd LLC Has $161,000 Stock Holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. $WST

Signaturefd LLC cut its stake in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST) by 34.4% in the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 734 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after selling 385 shares during the period. Signaturefd LLC’s holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services were worth $161,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Zions Bancorporation National Association UT acquired a new position in West Pharmaceutical Services during the first quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Quarry LP acquired a new position in West Pharmaceutical Services during the first quarter valued at approximately $27,000. First Horizon Advisors Inc. boosted its position in 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 purchasing an additional 85 shares during the last quarter. Opal Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new position in West Pharmaceutical Services during the first quarter valued at approximately $53,000. Finally, Brooklyn Investment Group boosted its position in West Pharmaceutical Services by 83.3% during the first quarter. Brooklyn Investment Group now owns 275 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $61,000 after purchasing an additional 125 shares during the last quarter. 93.90% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts have recently issued reports on WST shares. Rothschild & Co Redburn started coverage on West Pharmaceutical Services in a research report on Monday, September 15th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $311.00 price objective for the company. Wall Street Zen raised West Pharmaceutical Services from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Saturday, July 26th. Zacks Research cut West Pharmaceutical Services from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, September 23rd. Redburn Partners set a $311.00 price objective on West Pharmaceutical Services in a research report on Monday, September 15th. Finally, Evercore ISI raised their price objective on West Pharmaceutical Services from $275.00 to $350.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, July 25th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have issued a Buy rating and four have given a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, West Pharmaceutical Services presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $321.89.

West Pharmaceutical Services Stock Performance

NYSE:WST opened at $272.35 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $19.58 billion, a P/E ratio of 40.77, a PEG ratio of 4.85 and a beta of 1.07. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $250.58 and a 200 day simple moving average of $228.67. The company has a current ratio of 2.78, a quick ratio of 2.08 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.07. West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. has a 1-year low of $187.43 and a 1-year high of $352.33.

West Pharmaceutical Services (NYSE:WST) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 24th. The medical instruments supplier reported $1.84 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.51 by $0.33. The business had revenue of $766.50 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $725.11 million. West Pharmaceutical Services had a return on equity of 18.43% and a net margin of 16.48%.The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 9.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm posted $1.52 EPS. West Pharmaceutical Services has set its FY 2025 guidance at 6.650-6.850 EPS. Research analysts anticipate that West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. will post 6.62 earnings per share 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. Investors of record on Wednesday, November 12th will be issued a dividend of $0.22 per share. This represents a $0.88 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.3%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, November 12th. This is an increase from West Pharmaceutical Services’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.21. West Pharmaceutical Services’s payout ratio is 12.57%.

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.