Merit Financial Group LLC Invests $554,000 in West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. $WST

Merit Financial Group LLC bought a new stake in West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST) during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor bought 2,110 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock, valued at approximately $554,000.

Other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. SYM FINANCIAL Corp lifted its holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services by 5.1% during the 2nd quarter. SYM FINANCIAL Corp now owns 1,027 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $225,000 after buying an additional 50 shares during the last quarter. Benjamin Edwards Inc. increased its stake in West Pharmaceutical Services by 1.7% during the second quarter. Benjamin Edwards Inc. now owns 3,021 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $661,000 after purchasing an additional 50 shares during the last quarter. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust raised its holdings in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 4.0% during the second quarter. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust now owns 1,318 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $288,000 after purchasing an additional 51 shares during the period. MJP Associates Inc. ADV boosted its holdings in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 2.7% in the 2nd quarter. MJP Associates Inc. ADV now owns 1,970 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $431,000 after buying an additional 52 shares during the period. Finally, Pallas Capital Advisors LLC grew its position 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 buying an additional 62 shares during the last quarter. 93.90% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

West Pharmaceutical Services Trading Down 1.2%

Shares of NYSE:WST opened at $275.02 on Friday. The company has a 50 day moving average of $273.69 and a 200-day moving average of $257.42. The company has a current ratio of 2.87, a quick ratio of 2.18 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.07. The firm has a market cap of $19.78 billion, a P/E ratio of 40.74, a P/E/G ratio of 3.84 and a beta of 1.17. West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. has a twelve month low of $187.43 and a twelve 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. The firm had revenue of $804.60 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $788.42 million. West Pharmaceutical Services had a return on equity of 18.16% and a net margin of 16.29%.The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 7.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter 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, analysts anticipate that West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. will post 6.62 earnings per share 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. Investors of record on Wednesday, January 28th will be issued a dividend of $0.22 per share. This represents a $0.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.3%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, January 28th. West Pharmaceutical Services’s payout ratio is presently 13.04%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

WST has been the subject of several recent research reports. Rothschild & Co Redburn began coverage on West Pharmaceutical Services in a report on Monday, September 15th. They set a “buy” rating and a $311.00 target price for the company. Rothschild Redb upgraded West Pharmaceutical Services to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Monday, September 15th. Morgan Stanley assumed coverage on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in a research report on Monday, December 1st. They set an “equal weight” rating and a $285.00 price target for the company. TD Cowen initiated coverage on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in a research report on Wednesday, October 29th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $350.00 price objective on the stock. Finally, Redburn Partners set a $311.00 target price on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in a research report on Monday, September 15th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have assigned a Buy rating and four have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $335.78.

West Pharmaceutical Services 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.