What is Zacks Research’s Forecast for WST Q4 Earnings?

West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST) – Stock analysts at Zacks Research reduced their Q4 2024 earnings per share (EPS) estimates for shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in a research report issued on Thursday, November 14th. Zacks Research analyst I. Bandyopadhyay now forecasts 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 Stock Down 7.0 %

WST stock opened at $314.49 on Monday. West Pharmaceutical Services has a 12 month low of $265.00 and a 12 month high of $413.70. The company has a market cap of $22.78 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 46.66, a PEG ratio of 23.78 and a beta of 1.00. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $305.97 and a two-hundred day moving average of $315.85. 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 (NYSE:WST) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, October 24th. The medical instruments supplier reported $1.85 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.50 by $0.35. The business had revenue of $746.90 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $709.62 million. West Pharmaceutical Services had a return on equity of 18.41% and a net margin of 17.37%. The business’s quarterly revenue was down .1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $2.16 EPS.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On West Pharmaceutical Services

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. FMR LLC grew its holdings in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 199.4% in the third quarter. FMR LLC now owns 595,775 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $178,828,000 after purchasing an additional 396,780 shares in the last quarter. LGT Group Foundation acquired a new stake in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in the second quarter valued at $68,854,000. Liontrust Investment Partners LLP purchased a new position in West Pharmaceutical Services in the second quarter valued at $64,196,000. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC grew its stake in West Pharmaceutical Services by 21.8% during the 3rd quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 683,350 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $205,114,000 after purchasing an additional 122,361 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Iron Triangle Partners LP purchased a new stake in West Pharmaceutical Services during the 1st quarter worth about $47,381,000. 93.90% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other West Pharmaceutical Services news, VP Charles Witherspoon sold 703 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, October 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $310.40, for a total transaction of $218,211.20. Following the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 1,253 shares in the company, valued at $388,931.20. This represents a 35.94 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. 0.53% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

West Pharmaceutical Services Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared 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. This represents a $0.84 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.27%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, November 13th. This is a positive change from West Pharmaceutical Services’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.20. West Pharmaceutical Services’s payout ratio is presently 12.46%.

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.