Swiss National Bank Has $52.92 Million Stock Position in West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. $WST

Swiss National Bank grew its holdings in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST) by 7.2% during the first quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 211,160 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after purchasing an additional 14,120 shares during the period. Swiss National Bank’s holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services were worth $52,925,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the business. Elyxium Wealth LLC acquired a new position in West Pharmaceutical Services during the fourth quarter worth $25,000. CYBER HORNET ETFs LLC acquired a new stake in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in the second quarter worth about $25,000. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC lifted its position in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 90.9% in the first quarter. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC now owns 105 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $26,000 after buying an additional 50 shares during the last quarter. Bayban acquired a new position in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services during the 4th quarter valued at about $27,000. Finally, Private Trust Co. NA raised its stake in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 156.4% in the 4th quarter. Private Trust Co. NA now owns 100 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $28,000 after acquiring an additional 61 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 93.90% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity

In other news, VP Annette F. Favorite sold 2,817 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, April 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $305.20, for a total transaction of $859,748.40. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president owned 16,828 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,135,905.60. This represents a 14.34% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CAO Chad Winters sold 896 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, April 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $300.67, for a total transaction of $269,400.32. Following the completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer owned 1,523 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $457,920.41. The trade was a 37.04% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders own 0.60% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts have issued reports on WST shares. Stephens reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and set a $360.00 target price on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in a research report on Tuesday, June 2nd. Citigroup reissued a “buy” rating on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in a research report on Friday, April 24th. Zacks Research upgraded shares of West Pharmaceutical Services from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 13th. TD Cowen reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in a report on Wednesday, July 15th. Finally, KeyCorp raised their target price on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services from $350.00 to $390.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, July 2nd. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have issued a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $363.17.

West Pharmaceutical Services Stock Performance

WST opened at $358.87 on Thursday. The company has a quick ratio of 2.04, a current ratio of 2.71 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.07. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $335.41 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $286.58. The firm has a market capitalization of $25.35 billion, a P/E ratio of 47.98, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.91 and a beta of 1.16. West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. has a 12-month low of $221.50 and a 12-month high of $367.66.

West Pharmaceutical Services (NYSE:WST) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, April 23rd. The medical instruments supplier reported $2.13 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.68 by $0.45. The business had revenue of $844.90 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $779.67 million. West Pharmaceutical Services had a net margin of 16.85% and a return on equity of 19.03%. West Pharmaceutical Services’s revenue was up 21.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $1.45 earnings per share. On average, equities analysts forecast that West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. will post 8.6 earnings per share for the current year.

West Pharmaceutical Services Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, August 5th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, July 29th will be given a $0.22 dividend. This represents a $0.88 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.2%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, July 29th. West Pharmaceutical Services’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 11.76%.

West Pharmaceutical Services Company 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.