Radnor Capital Management LLC Acquires New Stake in West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. $WST

Radnor Capital Management LLC bought a new position in West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST) during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm bought 2,602 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock, valued at approximately $683,000.

A number of other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Generation Investment Management LLP bought a new position in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $255,072,000. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in West Pharmaceutical Services during the second quarter valued at approximately $200,813,000. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC raised its position in West Pharmaceutical Services by 43.5% in the first quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC now owns 1,134,706 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $254,038,000 after acquiring an additional 343,997 shares during the period. ProShare Advisors LLC boosted its stake in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 46.8% during the 2nd quarter. ProShare Advisors LLC now owns 738,368 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $161,555,000 after acquiring an additional 235,272 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Amundi boosted its stake in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 83.4% during the 2nd quarter. Amundi now owns 502,831 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $111,236,000 after acquiring an additional 228,696 shares during the last quarter. 93.90% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

West Pharmaceutical Services Price Performance

Shares of West Pharmaceutical Services stock opened at $276.21 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $19.87 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 40.92, a PEG ratio of 3.82 and a beta of 1.17. 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’s 50-day simple moving average is $274.10 and its 200-day simple moving average is $256.00. West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. has a 52 week low of $187.43 and a 52 week high of $348.90.

West Pharmaceutical Services (NYSE:WST) last issued 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. West Pharmaceutical Services had a return on equity of 18.16% and a net margin of 16.29%.The company had revenue of $804.60 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $788.42 million. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $1.85 EPS. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 7.7% on a year-over-year basis. West Pharmaceutical Services has set its FY 2025 guidance at 7.060-7.110 EPS. As a group, analysts expect that West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. will post 6.62 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

West Pharmaceutical Services Announces Dividend

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

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts have recently commented on WST shares. Cowen began coverage on West Pharmaceutical Services in a research note on Wednesday, October 29th. They issued a “buy” rating for the company. Rothschild Redb upgraded West Pharmaceutical Services to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Monday, September 15th. Redburn Partners set a $311.00 price objective on West Pharmaceutical Services in a research note on Monday, September 15th. Morgan Stanley began coverage on West Pharmaceutical Services in a research note on Monday, December 1st. They set an “equal weight” rating and a $285.00 price objective for the company. Finally, Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c)” rating on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in a report on Tuesday, October 14th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have given a Buy rating and four have issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, West Pharmaceutical Services currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $342.20.

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.