West Pharmaceutical Services (WST) Declares $0.19 Dividend
West Pharmaceutical Services said on March 3, 2023 that its board of directors declared a regular quarterly dividend of $0.19 per share ($0.76 annualized). Previously, the company paid $0.19 per share.
Shares must be purchased before the ex-div date of April 25, 2023 to qualify for the dividend. Shareholders of record as of April 26, 2023 will receive the payment on May 3, 2023.
At the current share price of $329.26 / share, the stock's dividend yield is 0.23%. Looking back five years and taking a sample every week, the average dividend yield has been 0.36%, the lowest has been 0.15%, and the highest has been 0.68%. The standard deviation of yields is 0.16 (n=236).
The current dividend yield is 0.80 standard deviations below the historical average.
Additionally, the company's dividend payout ratio is 0.10. The payout ratio tells us how much of a company's income is paid out in dividends. A payout ratio of one (1.0) means 100% of the company's income is paid in a dividend. A payout ratio greater than one means the company is dipping into savings in order to maintain its dividend - not a healthy situation. Companies with few growth prospects are expected to pay out most of their income in dividends, which typically means a payout ratio between 0.5 and 1.0. Companies with good growth prospects are expected to retain some earnings in order to invest in those growth prospects, which translates to a payout ratio of zero to 0.5.
The company's 3-Year dividend growth rate is 0.19%, demonstrating that it has increased its dividend over time.
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Analyst Price Forecast Suggests 11.75% Downside
As of March 4, 2023, the average one-year price target for West Pharmaceutical Services is $290.57. The forecasts range from a low of $242.40 to a high of $471.45. The average price target represents a decrease of 11.75% from its latest reported closing price of $329.26.
The projected annual revenue for West Pharmaceutical Services is $2,899MM, an increase of 0.42%. The projected annual non-GAAP EPS is $7.38.
What is the Fund Sentiment?
There are 1430 funds or institutions reporting positions in West Pharmaceutical Services. This is an increase of 20 owner(s) or 1.42% in the last quarter. Average portfolio weight of all funds dedicated to WST is 0.26%, a decrease of 11.72%. Total shares owned by institutions increased in the last three months by 2.38% to 81,532K shares. The put/call ratio of WST is 1.40, indicating a bearish outlook.
What are large shareholders doing?
Bank of New York Mellon holds 3,601K shares representing 4.86% ownership of the company. In it's prior filing, the firm reported owning 1,742K shares, representing an increase of 51.61%. The firm decreased its portfolio allocation in WST by 66.56% over the last quarter.
APG Asset Management N.V. holds 2,561K shares representing 3.45% ownership of the company. In it's prior filing, the firm reported owning 2,317K shares, representing an increase of 9.50%. The firm decreased its portfolio allocation in WST by 23.70% over the last quarter.
Franklin Resources holds 2,471K shares representing 3.33% ownership of the company. In it's prior filing, the firm reported owning 2,654K shares, representing a decrease of 7.42%. The firm decreased its portfolio allocation in WST by 81.25% over the last quarter.
Price T Rowe Associates holds 2,301K shares representing 3.10% ownership of the company. In it's prior filing, the firm reported owning 3,870K shares, representing a decrease of 68.18%. The firm decreased its portfolio allocation in WST by 44.16% over the last quarter.
VTSMX - Vanguard Total Stock Market Index Fund Investor Shares holds 2,250K shares representing 3.04% ownership of the company. In it's prior filing, the firm reported owning 2,210K shares, representing an increase of 1.78%. The firm decreased its portfolio allocation in WST by 10.08% over the last quarter.
West Pharmaceutical Services Background Information
(This description is provided by the company.)
West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. is a leading provider of innovative, high-quality injectable solutions and services. As a trusted partner to established and emerging drug developers, West helps ensure the safe, effective containment and delivery of life-saving and life-enhancing medicines for patients. With almost 10,000 team members across 50 sites worldwide, West helps support its customers by delivering over 40 billion components and devices each year.
This story originally appeared on Fintel.