Zacks Research Has Negative Outlook of WST Q4 Earnings

West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST - Free Report) - Investment analysts at Zacks Research decreased their Q4 2024 EPS estimates for West Pharmaceutical Services in a report issued on Thursday, November 14th. Zacks Research analyst I. Bandyopadhyay now anticipates that the medical instruments supplier will post earnings of $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 (NYSE:WST - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 24th. The medical instruments supplier reported $1.85 EPS for the quarter, beating 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 business had revenue of $746.90 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $709.62 million. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $2.16 earnings per share. The company's revenue for the quarter was down .1% on a year-over-year basis.

West Pharmaceutical Services Stock Down 2.3 %

NYSE:WST traded down $7.27 during trading hours on Monday, reaching $307.22. 592,102 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 574,307. West Pharmaceutical Services has a 1 year low of $265.00 and a 1 year high of $413.70. The stock 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. The business's 50-day moving average price is $306.08 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $315.42. The company has a current ratio of 3.00, a quick ratio of 2.23 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.07.

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 issued a $0.21 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, November 13th. This is a boost from West Pharmaceutical Services's previous quarterly dividend of $0.20. This represents a $0.84 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.27%. West Pharmaceutical Services's payout ratio is 12.46%.

Insider Transactions at West Pharmaceutical Services

In other news, VP Charles Witherspoon sold 703 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, October 29th. The shares were 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 of the company's stock, valued at $388,931.20. This trade represents a 35.94 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Insiders own 0.53% of the company's stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On West Pharmaceutical Services

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Pitcairn Co. boosted its stake in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 3.4% in the 1st quarter. Pitcairn Co. now owns 875 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $346,000 after buying an additional 29 shares during the last quarter. Clearbridge Investments LLC increased its position in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 0.7% during the 1st 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 last quarter. Ballentine Partners LLC lifted its stake in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 4.7% in the 2nd quarter. Ballentine Partners LLC now owns 742 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $244,000 after purchasing an additional 33 shares during the period. RFG Advisory LLC boosted its holdings in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 2.3% in the second quarter. RFG Advisory LLC now owns 1,499 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $494,000 after buying an additional 34 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Covestor Ltd grew its position in West Pharmaceutical Services by 14.3% during the third 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.

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.