West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (WST) – What Are Analysts Saying About This Stock?

Shares of West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST) have received a consensus recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the fourteen analysts that are currently covering the stock, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twelve have given a buy rating to the company. The average 1 year price objective among brokers that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $391.17.

Several research analysts recently weighed in on WST shares. TD Cowen boosted their target price on West Pharmaceutical Services from $410.00 to $420.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 13th. BNP Paribas Exane initiated coverage on West Pharmaceutical Services in a research note on Monday, July 13th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $447.00 price target for the company. Barclays raised their price target on West Pharmaceutical Services from $400.00 to $440.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 7th. Weiss Ratings raised shares of West Pharmaceutical Services from a “hold (c)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a research report on Friday, August 7th. Finally, KeyCorp increased their price objective on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services from $350.00 to $390.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, July 2nd.

West Pharmaceutical Services Trading Down 0.5%

NYSE WST opened at $392.00 on Tuesday. The company has a quick ratio of 2.12, a current ratio of 2.82 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.07. The firm has a market cap of $27.59 billion, a PE ratio of 50.19, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.75 and a beta of 1.13. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $362.02 and a 200 day moving average price of $337.18. West Pharmaceutical Services has a 52 week low of $223.83 and a 52 week high of $397.15.

West Pharmaceutical Services (NYSE:WST) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 23rd. The medical instruments supplier reported $2.37 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.08 by $0.29. The business had revenue of $872.30 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $839.98 million. West Pharmaceutical Services had a net margin of 16.98% and a return on equity of 20.11%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 13.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $1.84 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that West Pharmaceutical Services will post 8.92 EPS for the current fiscal year.

West Pharmaceutical Services Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, November 18th. Investors of record on Wednesday, November 11th will be paid a $0.26 dividend. This is a positive change from West Pharmaceutical Services’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.22. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, November 10th. This represents a $1.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.3%. West Pharmaceutical Services’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 11.27%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other West Pharmaceutical Services news, VP Annette Favorite sold 2,524 shares of West Pharmaceutical Services stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, September 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $365.00, for a total transaction of $921,260.00. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president owned 21,818 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $7,963,570. The trade was a 10.37% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 15,659 shares of company stock worth $5,443,749. Insiders own 0.60% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On West Pharmaceutical Services

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of WST. Addison Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in the 2nd quarter valued at $28,000. Avalon Trust Co acquired a new stake in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in the second quarter worth $28,000. Bayban acquired a new position in West Pharmaceutical Services during the fourth quarter valued at $27,000. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC lifted its position in West Pharmaceutical Services by 90.9% during the first quarter. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC now owns 105 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 50 shares during the period. Finally, Elevation Wealth Partners LLC boosted its holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services by 1,377.8% in the second quarter. Elevation Wealth Partners LLC now owns 133 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $48,000 after purchasing an additional 124 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 93.90% of the company’s stock.

West Pharmaceutical Services Company Profile

West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc develops and manufactures components and delivery systems used in the administration and packaging of injectable medicines and other healthcare products. Its offerings include elastomer closures, seals, syringe components, drug-delivery systems, and other specialized packaging components designed to support the safety, quality, and performance of pharmaceutical products.

The company also provides contract-manufacturing services for pharmaceutical, biotechnology, and medical-device customers.