Trust Co. of Vermont Sells 50 Shares of West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. $WST

Trust Co. of Vermont decreased its stake in West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST) by 16.7% in the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 250 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after selling 50 shares during the period. Trust Co. of Vermont’s holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services were worth $55,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of WST. Zions Bancorporation National Association UT bought a new position in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in the 1st quarter valued at about $25,000. Quarry LP bought a new position in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in the 1st quarter valued at about $27,000. First Horizon Advisors Inc. grew its holdings in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 85.0% in the 1st quarter. First Horizon Advisors Inc. now owns 185 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $41,000 after acquiring an additional 85 shares in the last quarter. Opal Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in the 1st quarter valued at about $53,000. Finally, Brooklyn Investment Group grew its holdings in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 83.3% in the 1st quarter. Brooklyn Investment Group now owns 275 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $61,000 after acquiring an additional 125 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 93.90% of the company’s stock.

West Pharmaceutical Services Trading Down 0.3%

Shares of NYSE:WST opened at $272.35 on Friday. West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. has a 12-month low of $187.43 and a 12-month high of $352.33. The stock has a market cap of $19.58 billion, a PE ratio of 40.77, a P/E/G ratio of 4.85 and a beta of 1.07. The business has a 50 day moving average of $250.58 and a 200-day moving average of $228.67. The company has a quick ratio of 2.08, a current ratio of 2.78 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.07.

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

West Pharmaceutical Services Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, November 19th. Investors of record on Wednesday, November 12th will be paid a $0.22 dividend. This represents a $0.88 annualized dividend 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 is presently 12.57%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages have recently weighed in on WST. Redburn Partners set a $311.00 price objective on West Pharmaceutical Services in a report on Monday, September 15th. Rothschild & Co Redburn assumed coverage on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in a research note on Monday, September 15th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $311.00 target price for the company. Rothschild Redb upgraded shares of West Pharmaceutical Services to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Monday, September 15th. Zacks Research downgraded shares of West Pharmaceutical Services from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, September 23rd. Finally, Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c-)” rating on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in a research note on Saturday, September 27th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have issued a Buy rating and four have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $321.89.

West Pharmaceutical Services 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.