Zacks Research Issues Negative Forecast for WST Earnings

West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST) – Equities research analysts at Zacks Research decreased their Q4 2024 earnings per share estimates for West Pharmaceutical Services in a research report issued to clients and investors on Thursday, November 14th. Zacks Research analyst I. Bandyopadhyay now expects that the medical instruments supplier will post earnings of $1.77 per share for the quarter, down from their prior estimate 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 (NYSE:WST) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 24th. The medical instruments supplier reported $1.85 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates 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 business had revenue of $746.90 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $709.62 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $2.16 EPS. The business’s revenue was down .1% compared to the same quarter last year.

West Pharmaceutical Services Trading Down 7.0 %

Shares of NYSE WST opened at $314.49 on Monday. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $305.97 and a 200 day moving average price of $315.85. West Pharmaceutical Services has a 1-year low of $265.00 and a 1-year high of $413.70. 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 stock has a market capitalization of $22.78 billion, a P/E ratio of 46.66, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 23.78 and a beta of 1.00.

West Pharmaceutical Services Increases Dividend

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

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, VP Charles Witherspoon sold 703 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, October 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $310.40, for a total transaction of $218,211.20. Following the sale, the vice president now owns 1,253 shares in the company, valued at approximately $388,931.20. The trade was a 35.94 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. 0.53% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On West Pharmaceutical Services

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Pitcairn Co. boosted its position in West Pharmaceutical Services by 3.4% in the first quarter. Pitcairn Co. now owns 875 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $346,000 after buying an additional 29 shares during the last quarter. Clearbridge Investments LLC lifted its position in West Pharmaceutical Services by 0.7% during the first quarter. Clearbridge Investments LLC now owns 4,495 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $1,779,000 after purchasing an additional 31 shares during the period. Ballentine Partners LLC boosted its holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services by 4.7% in the second quarter. Ballentine Partners LLC now owns 742 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $244,000 after purchasing an additional 33 shares during the last quarter. RFG Advisory LLC grew its position in West Pharmaceutical Services by 2.3% during the 2nd quarter. RFG Advisory LLC now owns 1,499 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $494,000 after purchasing an additional 34 shares during the period. Finally, Covestor Ltd lifted its holdings in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 14.3% in the 3rd quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 320 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $96,000 after buying an additional 40 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 93.90% of the company’s stock.

About West Pharmaceutical Services

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.