West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. $WST Shares Sold by Parnassus Investments LLC

Parnassus Investments LLC reduced its stake in West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST) by 51.5% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 33,568 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after selling 35,680 shares during the period. Parnassus Investments LLC’s holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services were worth $8,806,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. CYBER HORNET ETFs LLC bought a new stake in West Pharmaceutical Services during the second quarter worth approximately $25,000. Vermillion & White Wealth Management Group LLC increased its position in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 193.9% during the 2nd quarter. Vermillion & White Wealth Management Group LLC now owns 144 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $32,000 after purchasing an additional 95 shares during the period. SJS Investment Consulting Inc. raised its stake in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 1,842.9% in the 3rd quarter. SJS Investment Consulting Inc. now owns 136 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $36,000 after buying an additional 129 shares in the last quarter. CVA Family Office LLC raised its stake in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 573.3% in the 2nd quarter. CVA Family Office LLC now owns 202 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $44,000 after buying an additional 172 shares in the last quarter. Finally, MUFG Securities EMEA plc acquired a new stake in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in the second quarter valued at $47,000. 93.90% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

West Pharmaceutical Services Stock Up 0.0%

Shares of NYSE:WST opened at $275.26 on Friday. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $273.55 and a 200 day simple moving average of $258.07. West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. has a 52 week low of $187.43 and a 52 week high of $348.90. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.07, a quick ratio of 2.18 and a current ratio of 2.87. The company has a market cap of $19.80 billion, a PE ratio of 40.78, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.80 and a beta of 1.17.

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

West Pharmaceutical Services Dividend Announcement

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

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts recently issued reports on the company. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft set a $345.00 target price on West Pharmaceutical Services and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, October 24th. Rothschild Redb upgraded shares of West Pharmaceutical Services to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Monday, September 15th. Morgan Stanley assumed 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 target price for the company. Cowen began coverage on West Pharmaceutical Services in a report on Wednesday, October 29th. They issued a “buy” rating on the stock. Finally, KeyCorp raised their price objective on West Pharmaceutical Services from $325.00 to $350.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, October 24th. 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 company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, West Pharmaceutical Services currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $335.78.

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.