Welch & Forbes LLC Sells 2,988 Shares of West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. $WST

Welch & Forbes LLC lessened its stake in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST) by 41.9% in the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 4,146 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after selling 2,988 shares during the period. Welch & Forbes LLC’s holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services were worth $907,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Zions Bancorporation National Association UT bought a new position in West Pharmaceutical Services during the 1st quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Quarry LP bought a new position in West Pharmaceutical Services during the 1st quarter valued at approximately $27,000. First Horizon Advisors Inc. increased its position in 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 in the last quarter. CVA Family Office LLC increased its holdings in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 573.3% in the 2nd quarter. CVA Family Office LLC now owns 202 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $44,000 after purchasing an additional 172 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Cromwell Holdings LLC increased its holdings in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 587.5% in the 2nd quarter. Cromwell Holdings LLC now owns 220 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $48,000 after purchasing an additional 188 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 93.90% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms have commented on WST. KeyCorp lifted their target price on West Pharmaceutical Services from $325.00 to $350.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, October 24th. Rothschild Redb raised West Pharmaceutical Services to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Monday, September 15th. UBS Group lifted their target price on West Pharmaceutical Services from $320.00 to $355.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, October 24th. TD Cowen began coverage on West Pharmaceutical Services in a report on Wednesday, October 29th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $350.00 target price for the company. Finally, Zacks Research lowered West Pharmaceutical Services from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, September 23rd. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have issued a Buy rating and four have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $349.20.

West Pharmaceutical Services Stock Performance

Shares of WST opened at $282.43 on Monday. 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, Inc. has a one year low of $187.43 and a one year high of $348.90. The firm has a market capitalization of $20.32 billion, a P/E ratio of 41.84, a PEG ratio of 4.09 and a beta of 1.07. The business has a fifty day moving average of $263.09 and a 200 day moving average of $237.46.

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

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.