West Pharmaceutical Services (NYSE:WST) Rating Increased to Buy at Wall Street Zen

Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of West Pharmaceutical Services (NYSE:WST) from a hold rating to a buy rating in a research note released on Saturday morning.

Several other research firms have also recently issued reports on WST. UBS Group raised their price target on West Pharmaceutical Services from $320.00 to $355.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, October 24th. Barclays raised their target price on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services from $275.00 to $325.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Monday, October 27th. Morgan Stanley initiated coverage on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in a research note on Monday, December 1st. They set an “equal weight” rating and a $285.00 price target for the company. Rothschild Redb raised shares of West Pharmaceutical Services to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Monday, September 15th. Finally, Cowen started coverage on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in a report on Wednesday, October 29th. They set a “buy” rating for the company. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have given a Buy rating and four have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, West Pharmaceutical Services has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $342.20.

West Pharmaceutical Services Stock Up 1.4%

Shares of WST opened at $272.31 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 2.18, a current ratio of 2.87 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.07. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $274.12 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $252.21. The stock has a market cap of $19.59 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 40.34, a P/E/G ratio of 4.21 and a beta of 1.17. West Pharmaceutical Services has a 12 month low of $187.43 and a 12 month high of $348.90.

West Pharmaceutical Services (NYSE:WST) last announced its earnings results 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 business had revenue of $804.60 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $788.42 million. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $1.85 EPS. 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. Equities analysts predict that West Pharmaceutical Services will post 6.62 EPS for the current fiscal year.

West Pharmaceutical Services Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, February 4th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, January 28th will be paid a $0.22 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, January 28th. This represents a $0.88 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.3%. West Pharmaceutical Services’s payout ratio is presently 13.04%.

Institutional Trading of West Pharmaceutical Services

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Generation Investment Management LLP bought a new position in West Pharmaceutical Services in the second quarter valued at $255,072,000. Durable Capital Partners LP boosted its stake in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 146.8% during the 1st quarter. Durable Capital Partners LP now owns 1,573,119 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $352,190,000 after buying an additional 935,721 shares during the last quarter. Norges Bank bought a new position in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in the 2nd quarter valued at about $200,813,000. Artisan Partners Limited Partnership increased its position in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 22.2% in the third quarter. Artisan Partners Limited Partnership now owns 2,770,920 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $726,895,000 after acquiring an additional 503,601 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Steadfast Capital Management LP bought a new stake in West Pharmaceutical Services during the third quarter worth about $123,667,000. 93.90% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About West Pharmaceutical Services

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.