William Blair Has Bearish Estimate for WST Q4 Earnings

West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST) – Analysts at William Blair reduced their Q4 2024 earnings estimates for shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in a research report issued to clients and investors on Friday, October 25th. William Blair analyst M. Larew now expects that the medical instruments supplier will post earnings per share of $1.78 for the quarter, down from their prior estimate of $1.81. The consensus estimate for West Pharmaceutical Services’ current full-year earnings is $6.55 per share. William Blair also issued estimates for West Pharmaceutical Services’ Q1 2025 earnings at $1.63 EPS, Q2 2025 earnings at $1.79 EPS, Q3 2025 earnings at $2.11 EPS and Q4 2025 earnings at $2.12 EPS.

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

West Pharmaceutical Services Stock Performance

NYSE:WST opened at $318.41 on Monday. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $301.08 and a 200 day moving average price of $320.33. The stock has a market capitalization of $23.06 billion, a P/E ratio of 47.24, a P/E/G ratio of 23.68 and a beta of 1.01. West Pharmaceutical Services has a 12-month low of $265.00 and a 12-month high of $413.70. 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 business 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 dividend of $0.21 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, November 13th. This represents a $0.84 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.26%. This is a boost from West Pharmaceutical Services’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.20. West Pharmaceutical Services’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 11.87%.

Insider Transactions at West Pharmaceutical Services

In related news, VP Charles Witherspoon sold 1,029 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, August 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $300.00, for a total transaction of $308,700.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 1,478 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $443,400. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Insiders own 0.53% of the company’s stock.

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 shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 3.4% during the 1st quarter. Pitcairn Co. now owns 875 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $346,000 after acquiring an additional 29 shares during the last quarter. Clearbridge Investments LLC grew its stake in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 0.7% in the 1st quarter. Clearbridge Investments LLC now owns 4,495 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $1,779,000 after buying an additional 31 shares in the last quarter. Ballentine Partners LLC increased its holdings 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 buying an additional 33 shares during the last quarter. RFG Advisory LLC raised its position in shares of 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 valued at $494,000 after buying an additional 34 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Bleakley Financial Group LLC lifted its holdings in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 1.9% in the 1st quarter. Bleakley Financial Group LLC now owns 2,174 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $860,000 after acquiring an additional 41 shares during the last quarter. 93.90% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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.