Zacks Research Issues Pessimistic Forecast for WST Earnings

West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST) – Zacks Research lowered their Q4 2024 earnings per share (EPS) estimates for West Pharmaceutical Services in a research report issued on Thursday, November 14th. Zacks Research analyst I. Bandyopadhyay now expects that the medical instruments supplier will earn $1.77 per share for the quarter, down from their previous forecast of $1.83. The consensus estimate for West Pharmaceutical Services’ current full-year earnings is $6.66 per share. Zacks Research also issued estimates for West Pharmaceutical Services’ Q2 2026 earnings at $2.17 EPS.

West Pharmaceutical Services Stock Down 2.3 %

WST stock opened at $307.22 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.07, a current ratio of 3.00 and a quick ratio of 2.23. The firm has a market capitalization of $22.25 billion, a P/E ratio of 45.58, a P/E/G ratio of 23.78 and a beta of 1.00. West Pharmaceutical Services has a 52-week low of $265.00 and a 52-week high of $413.70. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $306.08 and its 200-day simple moving average is $315.42.

West Pharmaceutical Services (NYSE:WST) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 24th. The medical instruments supplier reported $1.85 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.50 by $0.35. West Pharmaceutical Services had a return on equity of 18.41% and a net margin of 17.37%. The firm had revenue of $746.90 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $709.62 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $2.16 EPS. The business’s revenue for the quarter was down .1% compared to the same quarter last year.

West Pharmaceutical Services Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, November 20th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, November 13th will be paid a dividend of $0.21 per share. This is an increase from West Pharmaceutical Services’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.20. This represents a $0.84 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.27%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, November 13th. West Pharmaceutical Services’s payout ratio is 12.46%.

Insider Activity

In other news, VP Charles Witherspoon sold 703 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, October 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $310.40, for a total value of $218,211.20. Following the transaction, the vice president now owns 1,253 shares in the company, valued at $388,931.20. This represents a 35.94 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Corporate insiders own 0.53% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in WST. FMR LLC grew its stake in West Pharmaceutical Services by 199.4% in the third quarter. FMR LLC now owns 595,775 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $178,828,000 after purchasing an additional 396,780 shares in the last quarter. LGT Group Foundation acquired a new stake in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services during the 2nd quarter valued at about $68,854,000. Liontrust Investment Partners LLP bought a new stake in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $64,196,000. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC increased its holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services by 21.8% in the third quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 683,350 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $205,114,000 after buying an additional 122,361 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Iron Triangle Partners LP bought a new position in West Pharmaceutical Services during the first quarter valued at approximately $47,381,000. 93.90% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

West Pharmaceutical Services Company 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.