William Blair Investment Management LLC Acquires 13,314 Shares of West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. $WST

William Blair Investment Management LLC increased its holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST) by 3.8% in the 2nd quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 366,152 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after purchasing an additional 13,314 shares during the period. William Blair Investment Management LLC’s holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services were worth $80,114,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Boston Trust Walden Corp grew its stake in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 4.7% during the 1st quarter. Boston Trust Walden Corp now owns 1,110 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $249,000 after purchasing an additional 50 shares during the period. Sumitomo Mitsui DS Asset Management Company Ltd grew its stake in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 0.7% during the 1st quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui DS Asset Management Company Ltd now owns 7,887 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $1,766,000 after purchasing an additional 57 shares during the period. Horizon Investments LLC grew its stake in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 5.8% during the 1st quarter. Horizon Investments LLC now owns 1,048 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $234,000 after purchasing an additional 57 shares during the period. Pallas Capital Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 1.0% during the 2nd quarter. Pallas Capital Advisors LLC now owns 6,333 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $1,386,000 after purchasing an additional 62 shares during the period. Finally, Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd grew its stake in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 22.7% during the 1st quarter. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd now owns 340 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $76,000 after purchasing an additional 63 shares during the period. 93.90% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms have issued reports on WST. Redburn Partners set a $311.00 price target on West Pharmaceutical Services in a research note on Monday, September 15th. Rothschild Redb upgraded West Pharmaceutical Services to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Monday, September 15th. Evercore ISI set a $350.00 price objective on West Pharmaceutical Services in a research note on Tuesday, October 7th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in a research note on Tuesday, October 14th. Finally, Rothschild & Co Redburn started coverage on 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. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have assigned a Buy rating and four have given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $321.89.

West Pharmaceutical Services Stock Up 1.1%

NYSE WST opened at $270.25 on Friday. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $254.94 and its 200 day moving average is $231.43. 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 12 month low of $187.43 and a 12 month high of $352.33. The stock has a market cap of $19.43 billion, a PE ratio of 40.46, a P/E/G ratio of 4.80 and a beta of 1.07.

West Pharmaceutical Services (NYSE:WST) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 24th. The medical instruments supplier reported $1.84 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates 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 company had revenue of $766.50 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $725.11 million. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $1.52 EPS. The firm’s revenue was up 9.2% compared to the same quarter last year. West Pharmaceutical Services has set its FY 2025 guidance at 6.650-6.850 EPS. Research analysts predict that West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. will post 6.62 EPS for the current fiscal year.

West Pharmaceutical Services Increases Dividend

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