AMI Asset Management Corp Lowers Stock Position in West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. $WST

AMI Asset Management Corp trimmed its stake in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST) by 4.9% during the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 165,305 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after selling 8,498 shares during the period. West Pharmaceutical Services accounts for 2.1% of AMI Asset Management Corp’s holdings, making the stock its 25th biggest position. AMI Asset Management Corp owned about 0.23% of West Pharmaceutical Services worth $36,169,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. lifted its holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services by 20.0% during the second quarter. Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. now owns 6,698 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $1,466,000 after purchasing an additional 1,117 shares in the last quarter. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC lifted its holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services by 6.8% during the second quarter. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC now owns 50,631 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $11,078,000 after purchasing an additional 3,212 shares in the last quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC lifted its holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services by 5.1% during the second quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC now owns 2,486 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $544,000 after purchasing an additional 120 shares in the last quarter. Revisor Wealth Management LLC lifted its holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services by 10.3% during the second quarter. Revisor Wealth Management LLC now owns 1,547 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $354,000 after purchasing an additional 144 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Counterpoint Mutual Funds LLC purchased a new position in West Pharmaceutical Services during the second quarter valued at $328,000. 93.90% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

West Pharmaceutical Services Price Performance

Shares of WST opened at $271.85 on Thursday. West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. has a 1-year low of $187.43 and a 1-year high of $352.33. The stock has a market cap of $19.55 billion, a PE ratio of 40.70, a P/E/G ratio of 4.65 and a beta of 1.07. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $250.50 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $228.12. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.07, a current ratio of 2.78 and a quick ratio of 2.08.

West Pharmaceutical Services (NYSE:WST) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, July 24th. The medical instruments supplier reported $1.84 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.51 by $0.33. The firm had revenue of $766.50 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $725.11 million. West Pharmaceutical Services had a return on equity of 18.43% and a net margin of 16.48%.West Pharmaceutical Services’s revenue was up 9.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $1.52 EPS. West Pharmaceutical Services has set its FY 2025 guidance at 6.650-6.850 EPS. As a group, analysts forecast that West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. will post 6.62 EPS for the current year.

West Pharmaceutical Services Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, November 19th. Investors of record on Wednesday, November 12th will be issued a $0.22 dividend. This represents a $0.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.3%. This is an increase from West Pharmaceutical Services’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.21. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, November 12th. West Pharmaceutical Services’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 12.57%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts have issued reports on the stock. UBS Group increased their price objective on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services from $285.00 to $320.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, July 25th. Evercore ISI increased their price objective on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services from $275.00 to $350.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, July 25th. Rothschild Redb upgraded shares of West Pharmaceutical Services to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Monday, September 15th. Zacks Research cut shares of West Pharmaceutical Services from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, September 23rd. Finally, Redburn Partners set a $311.00 price objective on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in a research report on Monday, September 15th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have issued a Buy rating and three have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $318.56.

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.