Latest news with #WestPharmaceuticalServices
Business Upturn
5 days ago
- Business
- Business Upturn
Class Action Filed Against West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (WST) – July 7, 2025 Deadline to Join – Contact Levi & Korsinsky
NEW YORK, May 30, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Levi & Korsinsky, LLP notifies investors in West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. ('West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc.' or the 'Company') (NYSE: WST) of a class action securities lawsuit. CLASS DEFINITION: The lawsuit seeks to recover losses on behalf of West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. investors who were adversely affected by alleged securities fraud between February 16, 2023 and February 12, 2025. Follow the link below to get more information and be contacted by a member of our team: West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. Lawsuit Submission Form WST investors may also contact Joseph E. Levi, Esq. via email at [email protected] or by telephone at (212) 363-7500. CASE DETAILS: The filed complaint alleges that defendants made false statements and/or concealed that: (a) despite claiming strong visibility into customer demand and attributing headwinds to temporary COVID-related product destocking, West was in fact experiencing significant and ongoing destocking across its high-margin HVP portfolio; (b) West's SmartDose device, which was purportedly positioned as a high-margin growth product, was highly dilutive to the Company's profit margins due to operational inefficiencies; (c) these margin pressures created the risk of costly restructuring activities, including the Company's exit from continuous glucose monitoring contracts with longstanding customers; and (d) as a result of the foregoing, defendants' positive statements about the Company's business, operations, and prospects were materially false and/or misleading or lacked a reasonable basis. WHAT'S NEXT? If you suffered a loss in West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. during the relevant time frame, you have until July 7, 2025 to request that the Court appoint you as lead plaintiff. Your ability to share in any recovery doesn't require that you serve as a lead plaintiff. NO COST TO YOU: If you are a class member, you may be entitled to compensation without payment of any out-of-pocket costs or fees. There is no cost or obligation to participate. WHY LEVI & KORSINSKY: Over the past 20 years, the team at Levi & Korsinsky has secured hundreds of millions of dollars for aggrieved shareholders and built a track record of winning high-stakes cases. Our firm has extensive expertise representing investors in complex securities litigation and a team of over 70 employees to serve our clients. For seven years in a row, Levi & Korsinsky has ranked in ISS Securities Class Action Services' Top 50 Report as one of the top securities litigation firms in the United States. CONTACT:Levi & Korsinsky, LLP Joseph E. Levi, Korsinsky, Esq.33 Whitehall Street, 17th FloorNew York, NY 10004 [email protected] Tel: (212) 363-7500Fax: (212) 363-7171
Globe and Mail
16-05-2025
- Business
- Globe and Mail
Dividend Aristocrats Offer Safety in Market Storms. Buy These 2 Top-Rated Stocks Now.
Dividend Aristocrats, firms with over 25 years of annual dividend growth, show their resilience through recessions, periods of sticky inflation, and market downturns, rewarding investors with reliable income and long-term stability. These stocks are battle-tested shelters, and two compelling options right now could be Coca-Cola (KO) a beverage titan, and West Pharmaceutical Services (WST), a key player in drug delivery systems. Both stocks have decades of dividend growth behind them and solid momentum ahead. To that end, investors should consider grabbing these top-rated defensive gems now. Dividend Aristocrat Stock #1: Coca-Cola Valued at a market cap of $296 billion, the beverage stock is up 9.6% over the past 52 weeks and 11.1% in 2025 alone. Even when the markets wobble, Wall Street keeps betting on its timeless charm – Coke just keeps bubbling to the top. Coca-Cola is not just refreshing thirst, it is refreshing portfolios. KO, a proud Dividend King, has raised its dividend for 63 straight years, proving loyalty to its investors. In 2024 alone, it poured out $8.4 billion in dividends, pushing total payouts since 2010 to an astounding $93.1 billion. Coca-Cola's annualized dividend of $2.04 per share, translating to a forward yield of 2.89%, easily tops the SPDR S&P 500 ETF's (SPY) 1.21%. Coca-Cola unveiled its Q1 earnings results on April 29, proving once again that its 'all-weather strategy' is more than just a catchphrase. Revenue dipped 2% year over year to $11.1 billion, mostly due to currency headwinds and changes in how it reports its bottling biz, but its bottom line still sparkled. EPS rose 5% to $0.77, and comparable EPS edged up 1% to $0.73, beating expectations. Coca-Cola's superpower is still its global reach. Looking ahead, Coca-Cola isn't backing down. The company reaffirmed its full-year 2025 outlook, targeting organic revenue growth of 5% to 6%, despite a 2% to 3% currency drag. Comparable currency-neutral EPS for 2025 is expected to increase 7% to 9% year over year. This outlook shows Coca-Cola's steady hand in stormy markets. Plus, management envisions an adjusted free cash flow of $9.5 billion for fiscal 2025, including $11.7 billion in cash flow from operations. Analysts are buying the story, forecasting $2.96 EPS in fiscal 2025, up 2.8% year over year, with the next year's bottom line anticipated to grow by another 8.1% annually to $3.20 per share. Overall, KO has a solid 'Strong Buy' consensus rating. Out of the 23 analysts in coverage, 21 recommend a 'Strong Buy,' one advises a 'Moderate Buy,' while the remaining one is playing it safe with a 'Hold' rating. KO stock might be gearing up for a refresh. With analysts setting a mean price target of $79.48, the stock could rally as much as 14% from the current price levels. Dividend Aristocrat Stock #2: West Pharmaceutical West Pharmaceutical Services (WST) has quietly become a cornerstone of the global pharmaceutical supply chain. The Pennsylvania-based company engineers sophisticated containment and delivery systems for injectable drugs and healthcare products, serving clients across the Americas, EMEA, and Asia Pacific. The stock has fallen 42% from its 52-week high of $358.52. Over the past year, it has slipped 42%, with a 37% decline on a YTD basis. Despite recent stock struggles, West Pharmaceutical has stayed loyal to its long-term investors. The company has increased dividends for over three decades, and just last month, it declared a payout of $0.21 per share, payable to the shareholders on Aug. 6. Plus, it kept its annual payout at $0.84 with a modest 0.41% yield. While the yield may not grab headlines, the low 12.2% payout ratio underscores West's conservative approach to capital allocation. In Q1 alone, West Pharmaceutical returned $15.2 million in dividends and repurchased over half a million shares for $133.5 million. On April 24, West Pharmaceutical Services delivered a steady yet strategically strong Q1 performance, reporting $698 million in revenue, flat year over year, but still topping expectations by 1.5%. Adjusted EPS landed at $1.45, blowing past estimates by 18.9%, signaling that the company's operational discipline is paying off despite top-line stagnation. Historically, West Pharmaceutical has ranked among the more profitable healthcare players, averaging an operating margin of 22.7% over the past five years. In Q1, adjusted operating profit hit $125 million, with margins climbing to 17.9%, reflecting improved efficiency even in a more complex macro environment. Cash flow also impressed. Operating cash flow rose 9.5% year over year to $129.4 million, while FCF more than doubled to $58.1 million. The company continues to lean into areas of strength, with a clear focus on capital discipline, margin improvement, and stakeholder value. West Pharmaceutical raised its full-year 2025 guidance, estimating net sales to be between $2.945 billion and $2.975 billion, while adjusted EPS is projected between $6.15 and $6.35. Analysts predict the medical device company's EPS to be $6.27 in fiscal 2025, rising by 14.4% annually to $7.17 in fiscal 2026. WST stock has a consensus 'Strong Buy' rating overall. Out of the 12 analysts covering the stock, 11 suggest a 'Strong Buy,' and one recommends a 'Hold.' The mean price target of $293.50 suggests that the stock has upside potential of 42% from current prices.
Yahoo
15-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (WST): Among Benjamin Graham Stocks for Defensive Investors
We recently published a list of . In this article, we are going to take a look at where West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST) stands against other Benjamin Graham stocks for defensive investors. Markets in early 2025 are a bit like a moody spring—75 degrees one day, stormy the next. After a strong run in 2023 and 2024, the S&P 500 dropped over 5% year-to-date as investors digested a mix of policy uncertainties, uncertainty around interest rate cuts, and pockets of corporate underperformance. Many stocks are being re-priced as investors grow more selective, and earnings outlooks weaken. At the same time, the bond market is quietly signaling a shift. Treasury yields are still elevated, but there's a growing sense that the Fed may be near the end of its hiking cycle. That has made Treasury and investment-grade bonds more attractive, especially compared to volatile equities. The market is in transition. Investors are moving from chasing momentum to seeking quality. Caution, realism, and discipline are back in style, and so are value stocks. Preparing for a potential recession is less about panic and more about applying timeless principles—many of which were championed by Benjamin Graham, the father of value investing. Graham taught that the key to long-term investment success lies in discipline, patience, and a deep understanding of value. In uncertain economic times, those lessons are more relevant than ever. Graham said in his book 'The market is a pendulum that forever swings between unsustainable optimism (which makes stocks too expensive) and unjustified pessimism (which makes them too cheap). In the short run, the market is a voting machine but in the long run, it is a weighing machine.' Rather than trying to time the market, investors should focus on building a portfolio grounded in quality and resilience. Graham favored companies with strong fundamentals, conservative balance sheets, and consistent earnings power—attributes that tend to shine when the economy slows. Dividend-paying stocks with a history of reliability also fit neatly into Graham's framework, offering both income and a margin of safety. Graham said in The Intelligent Investor: 'The essence of investment management is the management of risks, not the management of returns.' Diversification, another core tenet of Graham's philosophy, helps investors avoid overexposure to any one sector or asset class. Holding a variety of investments—equities, bonds, and even cash—can smooth returns and provide flexibility. Graham often emphasized the importance of keeping a cash reserve, not just for protection, but as a source of opportunity when market prices become irrationally low. Graham said, 'The investor's chief problem—and even his worst enemy—is likely to be himself.' Emotional discipline, especially during turbulent markets, is essential. By remaining rational, reassessing risk exposure, and maintaining a long-term mindset, investors can navigate recessionary periods with the confidence that volatility, like all market conditions, is temporary—and often presents some of the best chances to buy quality assets at a discount. We used the Classic Benjamin Graham Stock Screener by Graham Value to compile a list of the 10 Benjamin Graham stocks for defensive investors. We considered the top 20 stocks on our screen and picked the ones with the highest number of hedge fund investors, as of Q4 2024. The stocks are sorted in ascending order of hedge fund sentiment. At Insider Monkey we are obsessed with the stocks that hedge funds pile into. The reason is simple: our research has shown that we can outperform the market by imitating the top stock picks of the best hedge funds. Our quarterly newsletter's strategy selects 14 small-cap and large-cap stocks every quarter and has returned 373.4% since May 2014, beating its benchmark by 218 percentage points (see more details here). Benjamin Graham Number of Hedge Fund Holders: 35 West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST) is a global leader in advanced containment and delivery systems for injectable drugs, offering proprietary packaging, drug delivery devices, and contract manufacturing. Its two segments are Proprietary Products—featuring elastomers, syringes, vials, and self-injection devices—and Contract-Manufactured Products, which designs and assembles complex devices for pharmaceutical and medical clients. West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST) reported Q1 2025 net sales of $698 million, with a 2.1% organic sales increase. The gross profit margin stood 33.2%. Adjusted operating profit margin increased by 20 basis points to 17.9%, while adjusted diluted EPS declined by 7.1%, though it improved by 1.4% excluding certain adjustments. The proprietary products segment, particularly in GLP-1s, showed growth, though biologics and delivery devices faced challenges. Contract manufacturing saw low single-digit growth, primarily from self-injection devices. The company has increased its full-year 2025 revenue guidance to $2.945 billion–$2.975 billion, reflecting foreign currency exchange impacts. The company expects organic sales growth of 2%–3%, unchanged from previous guidance. West Pharmaceutical Services (NYSE:WST) is addressing several key issues impacting its high-value product (HVP) outlook. While demand remains strong, a short-term constraint has occurred at one of their facilities due to a customer switching product types. This is causing delays, but the company expects a boost in HVP components in the second half of the year. Additionally, pricing has been slightly lower than anticipated, although the impact is minimal. On the geopolitical front, while tariffs and macroeconomic factors are a concern, the company has mitigated risks through strategies like passing costs to customers and regional manufacturing. They are not seeing significant changes in customer behavior or demand despite government spending cuts or healthcare concerns. The company also sees a positive growth outlook with continued demand and projects potential for future growth in AnnexOne, a high-margin initiative. Overall, WST ranks 7th on our list of Benjamin Graham stocks for defensive investors. While we acknowledge the growth potential of WST, our conviction lies in the belief that AI stocks hold great promise for delivering high returns and doing so within a shorter time frame. There is an AI stock that went up since the beginning of 2025, while popular AI stocks lost around 25%. If you are looking for an AI stock that is more promising than WST but that trades at less than 5 times its earnings, check out our report about this cheapest AI stock. READ NEXT: and . Disclosure: None. This article is originally published at . Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Yahoo
14-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (WST): Among Benjamin Graham Stocks for Defensive Investors
We recently published a list of . In this article, we are going to take a look at where West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST) stands against other Benjamin Graham stocks for defensive investors. Markets in early 2025 are a bit like a moody spring—75 degrees one day, stormy the next. After a strong run in 2023 and 2024, the S&P 500 dropped over 5% year-to-date as investors digested a mix of policy uncertainties, uncertainty around interest rate cuts, and pockets of corporate underperformance. Many stocks are being re-priced as investors grow more selective, and earnings outlooks weaken. At the same time, the bond market is quietly signaling a shift. Treasury yields are still elevated, but there's a growing sense that the Fed may be near the end of its hiking cycle. That has made Treasury and investment-grade bonds more attractive, especially compared to volatile equities. The market is in transition. Investors are moving from chasing momentum to seeking quality. Caution, realism, and discipline are back in style, and so are value stocks. Preparing for a potential recession is less about panic and more about applying timeless principles—many of which were championed by Benjamin Graham, the father of value investing. Graham taught that the key to long-term investment success lies in discipline, patience, and a deep understanding of value. In uncertain economic times, those lessons are more relevant than ever. Graham said in his book 'The market is a pendulum that forever swings between unsustainable optimism (which makes stocks too expensive) and unjustified pessimism (which makes them too cheap). In the short run, the market is a voting machine but in the long run, it is a weighing machine.' Rather than trying to time the market, investors should focus on building a portfolio grounded in quality and resilience. Graham favored companies with strong fundamentals, conservative balance sheets, and consistent earnings power—attributes that tend to shine when the economy slows. Dividend-paying stocks with a history of reliability also fit neatly into Graham's framework, offering both income and a margin of safety. Graham said in The Intelligent Investor: 'The essence of investment management is the management of risks, not the management of returns.' Diversification, another core tenet of Graham's philosophy, helps investors avoid overexposure to any one sector or asset class. Holding a variety of investments—equities, bonds, and even cash—can smooth returns and provide flexibility. Graham often emphasized the importance of keeping a cash reserve, not just for protection, but as a source of opportunity when market prices become irrationally low. Graham said, 'The investor's chief problem—and even his worst enemy—is likely to be himself.' Emotional discipline, especially during turbulent markets, is essential. By remaining rational, reassessing risk exposure, and maintaining a long-term mindset, investors can navigate recessionary periods with the confidence that volatility, like all market conditions, is temporary—and often presents some of the best chances to buy quality assets at a discount. We used the Classic Benjamin Graham Stock Screener by Graham Value to compile a list of the 10 Benjamin Graham stocks for defensive investors. We considered the top 20 stocks on our screen and picked the ones with the highest number of hedge fund investors, as of Q4 2024. The stocks are sorted in ascending order of hedge fund sentiment. At Insider Monkey we are obsessed with the stocks that hedge funds pile into. The reason is simple: our research has shown that we can outperform the market by imitating the top stock picks of the best hedge funds. Our quarterly newsletter's strategy selects 14 small-cap and large-cap stocks every quarter and has returned 373.4% since May 2014, beating its benchmark by 218 percentage points (see more details here). Benjamin Graham Number of Hedge Fund Holders: 35 West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST) is a global leader in advanced containment and delivery systems for injectable drugs, offering proprietary packaging, drug delivery devices, and contract manufacturing. Its two segments are Proprietary Products—featuring elastomers, syringes, vials, and self-injection devices—and Contract-Manufactured Products, which designs and assembles complex devices for pharmaceutical and medical clients. West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST) reported Q1 2025 net sales of $698 million, with a 2.1% organic sales increase. The gross profit margin stood 33.2%. Adjusted operating profit margin increased by 20 basis points to 17.9%, while adjusted diluted EPS declined by 7.1%, though it improved by 1.4% excluding certain adjustments. The proprietary products segment, particularly in GLP-1s, showed growth, though biologics and delivery devices faced challenges. Contract manufacturing saw low single-digit growth, primarily from self-injection devices. The company has increased its full-year 2025 revenue guidance to $2.945 billion–$2.975 billion, reflecting foreign currency exchange impacts. The company expects organic sales growth of 2%–3%, unchanged from previous guidance. West Pharmaceutical Services (NYSE:WST) is addressing several key issues impacting its high-value product (HVP) outlook. While demand remains strong, a short-term constraint has occurred at one of their facilities due to a customer switching product types. This is causing delays, but the company expects a boost in HVP components in the second half of the year. Additionally, pricing has been slightly lower than anticipated, although the impact is minimal. On the geopolitical front, while tariffs and macroeconomic factors are a concern, the company has mitigated risks through strategies like passing costs to customers and regional manufacturing. They are not seeing significant changes in customer behavior or demand despite government spending cuts or healthcare concerns. The company also sees a positive growth outlook with continued demand and projects potential for future growth in AnnexOne, a high-margin initiative. Overall, WST ranks 7th on our list of Benjamin Graham stocks for defensive investors. While we acknowledge the growth potential of WST, our conviction lies in the belief that AI stocks hold great promise for delivering high returns and doing so within a shorter time frame. There is an AI stock that went up since the beginning of 2025, while popular AI stocks lost around 25%. If you are looking for an AI stock that is more promising than WST but that trades at less than 5 times its earnings, check out our report about this cheapest AI stock. READ NEXT: and . Disclosure: None. This article is originally published at . Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Business Wire
13-05-2025
- Business
- Business Wire
Rosen Law Firm Urges West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE: WST) Stockholders to Contact the Firm for Information About Their Rights
NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Rosen Law Firm, a global investor rights law firm, announces that a shareholder filed a class action on behalf of purchasers of common stock of West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE: WST) between February 16, 2023 and February 12, 2025. West describes itself as a 'medical supplies company specializing in packaging components, containment solutions, and delivery systems for injectable drugs.' For more information, submit a form, email attorney Phillip Kim, or give us a call at 866-767-3653. The Allegations: Rosen Law Firm is Investigating the Allegations that West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE: WST) Misled Investors Regarding its Business Operations. According to the lawsuit, throughout the Class Period, defendants made false and misleading statements and/or failed to disclose that: (1) despite claiming strong visibility into customer demand and attributing headwinds to temporary COVID-related product destocking, West was in fact experiencing significant and ongoing destocking across its high-margin High-Value Products ('HVP') portfolio; (2) West's SmartDose device, which was purportedly positioned as a high-margin growth product, was highly dilutive to West's profit margins due to operational inefficiencies; (3) these margin pressures created the risk of costly restructuring activities, including West's exit from continuous glucose monitoring ('CGM') contracts with long-standing customers; and (4) as a result of the foregoing, defendants' positive statements about West's business, operations, and prospects were materially false and/or misleading or lacked a reasonable basis. When the true details entered the market, the lawsuit claims that investors suffered damages. What Now: You may be eligible to participate in the class action against West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. Shareholders who want to serve as lead plaintiff for the class must file their motions with the court by July 7, 2025. A lead plaintiff is a representative party who acts on behalf of other class members in directing the litigation. You do not have to participate in the case to be eligible for a recovery. If you choose to take no action, you can remain an absent class member. For more information, click here. All representation is on a contingency fee basis. Shareholders pay no fees or expenses. About Rosen Law Firm: Some law firms issuing releases about this matter do not actually litigate securities class actions. Rosen Law Firm does. Rosen Law Firm is a recognized leader in shareholder rights litigation, dedicated to helping shareholders recover losses, improving corporate governance structures, and holding company executives accountable for their wrongdoing. Since its inception, Rosen Law Firm has obtained over $1 billion for shareholders. Follow us for updates on LinkedIn: on Twitter: or on Facebook: Attorney Advertising. Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome.
