Two Sigma Advisers LP Acquires 112,700 Shares of West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST)

Posted by Defense World Staff on Jun 13th, 2023

Two Sigma Advisers LP increased its holdings in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST – Get Rating) by 1,847.5% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 118,800 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after purchasing an additional 112,700 shares during the period. Two Sigma Advisers LP owned 0.16% of West Pharmaceutical Services worth $27,960,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of WST. Janiczek Wealth Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 103.6% during the fourth quarter. Janiczek Wealth Management LLC now owns 112 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $28,000 after purchasing an additional 57 shares in the last quarter. Guardian Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services during the third quarter valued at approximately $29,000. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its stake in West Pharmaceutical Services by 253.4% in the fourth quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 205 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $48,000 after acquiring an additional 147 shares in the last quarter. Compagnie Lombard Odier SCmA acquired a new stake in West Pharmaceutical Services in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $48,000. Finally, CoreCap Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in West Pharmaceutical Services in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $56,000. 91.51% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts have weighed in on WST shares. KeyCorp raised their target price on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services from $315.00 to $375.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, February 17th. StockNews.com downgraded shares of West Pharmaceutical Services from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday. Stephens upgraded shares of West Pharmaceutical Services from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and lifted their price objective for the stock from $330.00 to $400.00 in a research note on Tuesday, April 11th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lifted their price objective on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services from $250.00 to $290.00 in a research note on Wednesday, February 22nd. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $313.00.

West Pharmaceutical Services Trading Up 2.6 %

Shares of West Pharmaceutical Services stock opened at $357.39 on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.07, a current ratio of 3.62 and a quick ratio of 2.79. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $354.43 and a 200 day moving average price of $303.54. West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. has a 1 year low of $206.19 and a 1 year high of $376.72. The stock has a market cap of $26.53 billion, a PE ratio of 49.09, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 7.18 and a beta of 1.10.

West Pharmaceutical Services (NYSE:WST – Get Rating) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, April 27th. The medical instruments supplier reported $1.98 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.67 by $0.31. West Pharmaceutical Services had a net margin of 19.15% and a return on equity of 24.14%. The firm had revenue of $716.60 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $697.28 million. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $2.30 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was down .5% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts predict that West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. will post 7.68 earnings per share for the current year.

West Pharmaceutical Services Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, August 2nd. Investors of record on Wednesday, July 26th will be issued a dividend of $0.19 per share. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, July 25th. This represents a $0.76 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.21%. West Pharmaceutical Services’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 10.44%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, VP Charles Witherspoon sold 1,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, May 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $343.05, for a total transaction of $343,050.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now owns 1,829 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $627,438.45. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. In other West Pharmaceutical Services news, VP Annette F. Favorite sold 13,012 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, May 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $365.81, for a total transaction of $4,759,919.72. Following the transaction, the vice president now owns 14,877 shares in the company, valued at $5,442,155.37. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, VP Charles Witherspoon sold 1,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, May 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $343.05, for a total value of $343,050.00. Following the transaction, the vice president now owns 1,829 shares in the company, valued at approximately $627,438.45. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 67,244 shares of company stock valued at $24,454,553 over the last 90 days. Insiders own 1.13% of the company’s stock.

West Pharmaceutical Services Profile

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West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc manufactures and markets pharmaceuticals, biologics, vaccines and consumer healthcare products. It operates through the following business segments: Proprietary Products and Contract-Manufactured Products. The Proprietary Products segment offers proprietary packaging, containment and drug delivery products, along with analytical lab services, to biologic, generic and pharmaceutical drug customers.