West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST) Plans Dividend Increase – $0.26 Per Share

West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST) declared a quarterly dividend on Monday, October 19th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, November 11th will be given a dividend of $0.26 per share by the medical instruments supplier on Wednesday, November 18th. This represents a $1.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.3%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, November 10th. This is a 18.2% increase from West Pharmaceutical Services’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.22.

West Pharmaceutical Services has raised its dividend by an average of 0.1% annually over the last three years. West Pharmaceutical Services has a payout ratio of 12.4% indicating that its dividend is sufficiently covered by earnings. Equities research analysts expect West Pharmaceutical Services to earn $9.90 per share next year, which means the company should continue to be able to cover its $0.88 annual dividend with an expected future payout ratio of 8.9%.

West Pharmaceutical Services Price Performance

West Pharmaceutical Services stock opened at $383.78 on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.07, a quick ratio of 2.12 and a current ratio of 2.82. West Pharmaceutical Services has a 52 week low of $223.83 and a 52 week high of $387.01. The stock has a market capitalization of $27.01 billion, a P/E ratio of 49.14, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.69 and a beta of 1.13. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $358.63 and a 200-day moving average of $333.88.

West Pharmaceutical Services (NYSE:WST) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 23rd. The medical instruments supplier reported $2.37 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.08 by $0.29. The business had revenue of $872.30 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $839.98 million. West Pharmaceutical Services had a return on equity of 20.11% and a net margin of 16.98%. West Pharmaceutical Services’s revenue was up 13.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm posted $1.84 earnings per share. West Pharmaceutical Services has set its Q3 2026 guidance at 2.140-2.240 EPS and its FY 2026 guidance at 8.850-9.050 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts expect that West Pharmaceutical Services will post 8.93 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling at West Pharmaceutical Services

In related news, VP Annette Favorite sold 2,524 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, September 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $365.00, for a total transaction of $921,260.00. Following the sale, the vice president owned 21,818 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $7,963,570. This trade represents a 10.37% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 15,659 shares of company stock worth $5,443,749. Company insiders own 0.60% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On West Pharmaceutical Services

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. V Square Quantitative Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 6.8% during the third quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC now owns 2,609 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $967,000 after purchasing an additional 167 shares in the last quarter. Community Financial Services Group LLC increased its stake in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 60.6% in the third quarter. Community Financial Services Group LLC now owns 151 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $55,000 after buying an additional 57 shares during the period. Central Pacific Bank Trust Division acquired a new position in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in the third quarter valued at approximately $749,000. QRG Capital Management Inc. increased its stake in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 16.3% in the second quarter. QRG Capital Management Inc. now owns 1,954 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $702,000 after buying an additional 274 shares during the period. Finally, Envestnet Portfolio Solutions Inc. raised its holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services by 12.5% in the 2nd quarter. Envestnet Portfolio Solutions Inc. now owns 1,886 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $677,000 after buying an additional 209 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 93.90% of the company’s stock.

About West Pharmaceutical Services

West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc develops and manufactures components and delivery systems used in the administration and packaging of injectable medicines and other healthcare products. Its offerings include elastomer closures, seals, syringe components, drug-delivery systems, and other specialized packaging components designed to support the safety, quality, and performance of pharmaceutical products.

The company also provides contract-manufacturing services for pharmaceutical, biotechnology, and medical-device customers.