Asset Management One Co. Ltd. Buys 10,009 Shares of West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. $WST

Asset Management One Co. Ltd. increased its stake in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST) by 16.7% during the third quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 69,775 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after purchasing an additional 10,009 shares during the period. Asset Management One Co. Ltd. owned 0.10% of West Pharmaceutical Services worth $18,304,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in WST. CYBER HORNET ETFs LLC bought a new position in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in the second quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Quarry LP bought a new position in West Pharmaceutical Services in the 1st quarter valued at $27,000. Vermillion & White Wealth Management Group LLC grew its position in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 193.9% during the 2nd quarter. Vermillion & White Wealth Management Group LLC now owns 144 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $32,000 after purchasing an additional 95 shares in the last quarter. SJS Investment Consulting Inc. increased its holdings in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 1,842.9% in the third quarter. SJS Investment Consulting Inc. now owns 136 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $36,000 after purchasing an additional 129 shares during the period. Finally, CVA Family Office LLC raised its position in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 573.3% in the second quarter. CVA Family Office LLC now owns 202 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $44,000 after buying an additional 172 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 93.90% of the company’s stock.

West Pharmaceutical Services Stock Up 0.8%

Shares of NYSE WST opened at $278.73 on Tuesday. The stock has a market capitalization of $20.05 billion, a P/E ratio of 41.29, a PEG ratio of 3.82 and a beta of 1.17. West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. has a one year low of $187.43 and a one year high of $348.90. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $273.94 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $256.69. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.07, a current ratio of 2.87 and a quick ratio of 2.18.

West Pharmaceutical Services (NYSE:WST) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 23rd. The medical instruments supplier reported $1.96 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.67 by $0.29. West Pharmaceutical Services had a net margin of 16.29% and a return on equity of 18.16%. The company had revenue of $804.60 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $788.42 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $1.85 EPS. The firm’s revenue was up 7.7% on a year-over-year basis. West Pharmaceutical Services has set its FY 2025 guidance at 7.060-7.110 EPS. As a group, analysts expect that West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. will post 6.62 EPS for the current fiscal year.

West Pharmaceutical Services Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, February 4th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, January 28th will be paid a $0.22 dividend. This represents a $0.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.3%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, January 28th. West Pharmaceutical Services’s payout ratio is 13.04%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts have weighed in on WST shares. Rothschild & Co Redburn started coverage on West Pharmaceutical Services in a research note on Monday, September 15th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $311.00 target price on the stock. UBS Group upped their price objective on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services from $320.00 to $355.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, October 24th. Wall Street Zen raised shares of West Pharmaceutical Services from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Saturday, December 20th. Evercore ISI increased their price target on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services from $350.00 to $390.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, October 23rd. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft set a $345.00 price objective on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, October 24th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have assigned a Buy rating and four have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $342.20.

West Pharmaceutical Services Company Profile

West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc is a global developer and manufacturer of components, systems and services that enable the containment and delivery of injectable drugs. The company focuses on high-quality packaging and delivery solutions for the pharmaceutical and biotech industries, producing primary drug packaging components and specialized drug delivery devices used for vaccines, biologics and other injectable therapies. West is known for its elastomeric closures, seals and polymer components that maintain sterility and compatibility with sensitive drug formulations.

In addition to component manufacturing, West provides engineered delivery systems and support services across the product lifecycle.