Vest Financial LLC Sells 48,353 Shares of West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. $WST

Vest Financial LLC trimmed its stake in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST) by 19.8% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 196,461 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after selling 48,353 shares during the quarter. Vest Financial LLC owned about 0.27% of West Pharmaceutical Services worth $51,538,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. CYBER HORNET ETFs LLC bought a new stake in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services during the 2nd quarter worth about $25,000. Vermillion & White Wealth Management Group LLC boosted its holdings in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 193.9% during the second quarter. Vermillion & White Wealth Management Group LLC now owns 144 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $32,000 after acquiring an additional 95 shares during the period. SJS Investment Consulting Inc. grew its position 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 valued at $36,000 after purchasing an additional 129 shares during the last quarter. CVA Family Office LLC increased its stake in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 573.3% during the second 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 during the period. Finally, MUFG Securities EMEA plc acquired a new stake in West Pharmaceutical Services during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $47,000. 93.90% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

West Pharmaceutical Services Stock Performance

NYSE WST opened at $246.85 on Wednesday. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $271.96 and a 200-day moving average price of $260.61. The firm has a market cap of $17.76 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 37.36, a PEG ratio of 3.59 and a beta of 1.17. 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 1 year low of $187.43 and a 1 year high of $348.90.

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

West Pharmaceutical Services Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, February 4th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, January 28th will be given a dividend of $0.22 per share. This represents a $0.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.4%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, January 28th. West Pharmaceutical Services’s dividend payout ratio is currently 13.04%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts have recently commented on WST shares. UBS Group raised their target price on shares of 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 assumed coverage on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in a research note on Wednesday, October 29th. They set a “buy” rating and a $350.00 price target for the company. Zacks Research lowered shares of West Pharmaceutical Services from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, September 23rd. Barclays boosted their target price on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services from $275.00 to $325.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Monday, October 27th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c)” rating on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in a research report on Friday, January 9th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have given a Buy rating and four have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $335.78.

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.