Ameriprise Financial Inc. raised its position in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST – Free Report) by 4.0% in the 1st quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 174,438 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after acquiring an additional 6,692 shares during the period. Ameriprise Financial Inc.’s holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services were worth $39,064,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period. Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of WST. Norinchukin Bank The increased its holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services by 14.5% during the 1st quarter. Norinchukin Bank The now owns 3,608 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $808,000 after purchasing an additional 457 shares in the last quarter. Summit Financial LLC bought a new stake in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services during the first quarter worth $2,426,000. Banco BTG Pactual S.A. acquired a new stake in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in the first quarter valued at $1,081,000. Credit Agricole S A increased its stake in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 1.6% in the first quarter. Credit Agricole S A now owns 39,132 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $8,761,000 after buying an additional 630 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Quantbot Technologies LP bought a new position in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in the first quarter valued at about $1,148,000. 93.90% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds. Get West Pharmaceutical Services alerts: Wall Street Analyst Weigh In WST has been the topic of several research analyst reports. UBS Group increased their price target on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services from $285.00 to $320.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, July 25th. Wall Street Zen upgraded West Pharmaceutical Services from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Saturday, July 26th. Barclays assumed coverage on West Pharmaceutical Services in a research note on Tuesday, June 24th. They issued an “equal weight” rating and a $245.00 target price for the company. Citigroup reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in a research note on Thursday, May 22nd. Finally, Evercore ISI raised their price target on West Pharmaceutical Services from $275.00 to $350.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, July 25th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have given a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $320.71. West Pharmaceutical Services Stock Down 0.2% Shares of West Pharmaceutical Services stock opened at $245.60 on Friday. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $234.22 and a 200 day simple moving average of $223.87. The stock has a market cap of $17.66 billion, a PE ratio of 36.77, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.36 and a beta of 1.05. 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, Inc. has a 12 month low of $187.43 and a 12 month high of $352.33. West Pharmaceutical Services (NYSE:WST – Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, July 24th. The medical instruments supplier reported $1.84 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.51 by $0.33. The firm had revenue of $766.50 million for 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 company’s revenue was up 9.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $1.52 earnings per share. West Pharmaceutical Services has set its FY 2025 guidance at 6.650-6.850 EPS. Research analysts predict that West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. will post 6.62 EPS for the current year. West Pharmaceutical Services Increases Dividend The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, November 19th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, November 12th will be paid a $0.22 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, November 12th. This is a boost from West Pharmaceutical Services’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.21. This represents a $0.88 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.4%. West Pharmaceutical Services’s payout ratio is currently 12.57%. West Pharmaceutical Services Profile (Free Report) 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. Further Reading Want to see what other hedge funds are holding WST? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST – Free Report). Receive News & Ratings for West Pharmaceutical Services Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for West Pharmaceutical Services and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter.

Source: ETF Daily News