West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. $WST Stock Holdings Lessened by Parnassus Investments LLC

Parnassus Investments LLC cut its stake in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST) by 51.5% during the third quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor 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 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Oregon Public Employees Retirement Fund boosted its stake in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 32.1% during the 3rd quarter. Oregon Public Employees Retirement Fund now owns 8,207 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $2,153,000 after buying an additional 1,994 shares during the period. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 7.8% during the third quarter. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC now owns 37,551 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $9,851,000 after acquiring an additional 2,723 shares in the last quarter. Birch Hill Investment Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 87.4% during the third quarter. Birch Hill Investment Advisors LLC now owns 136,470 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $35,800,000 after acquiring an additional 63,638 shares in the last quarter. Benjamin Edwards Inc. boosted its position in West Pharmaceutical Services by 12.4% during the third quarter. Benjamin Edwards Inc. now owns 3,395 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $891,000 after purchasing an additional 374 shares during the last quarter. Finally, SG Americas Securities LLC grew its stake in West Pharmaceutical Services by 617.2% in the third quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 26,664 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $6,995,000 after purchasing an additional 22,946 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 93.90% of the company’s stock.

West Pharmaceutical Services Stock Up 0.0%

Shares of West Pharmaceutical Services stock opened at $275.26 on Friday. West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. has a 12-month low of $187.43 and a 12-month high of $348.90. 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 stock has a 50 day moving average price of $273.55 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $258.07. The stock has a market capitalization of $19.80 billion, a P/E ratio of 40.78, a PEG ratio of 3.80 and a beta of 1.17.

West Pharmaceutical Services (NYSE:WST) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 23rd. The medical instruments supplier reported $1.96 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.67 by $0.29. The business had revenue of $804.60 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $788.42 million. West Pharmaceutical Services had a net margin of 16.29% and a return on equity of 18.16%. West Pharmaceutical Services’s revenue for the quarter was up 7.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period 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. Equities analysts expect that West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. will post 6.62 earnings per share for the current year.

West Pharmaceutical Services Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, February 4th. Shareholders 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 is Wednesday, January 28th. West Pharmaceutical Services’s dividend payout ratio is 13.04%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

WST has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. Evercore ISI raised their price target on West Pharmaceutical Services from $350.00 to $390.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 23rd. Rothschild & Co Redburn began coverage on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in a research report on Monday, September 15th. They set a “buy” rating and a $311.00 price objective on the stock. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft set a $345.00 target price on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, October 24th. Zacks Research lowered shares of West Pharmaceutical Services from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, September 23rd. Finally, Rothschild Redb raised shares of West Pharmaceutical Services to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Monday, September 15th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have given a Buy rating and four have given a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average 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.