Alpine Peaks Capital LP Cuts Position in West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST)

Alpine Peaks Capital LP reduced its holdings in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST - Free Report) by 16.0% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 19,733 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock after selling 3,769 shares during the period. West Pharmaceutical Services comprises about 5.3% of Alpine Peaks Capital LP's investment portfolio, making the stock its 9th biggest position. Alpine Peaks Capital LP's holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services were worth $6,464,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in WST. Whipplewood Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Retirement Wealth Solutions LLC bought a new stake in West Pharmaceutical Services in the fourth quarter valued at $34,000. Centricity Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in West Pharmaceutical Services during the fourth quarter worth $35,000. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC raised its stake in West Pharmaceutical Services by 57.1% during the fourth quarter. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC now owns 110 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $38,000 after acquiring an additional 40 shares in the last quarter. Finally, IFP Advisors Inc lifted its holdings in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 150.9% during the fourth quarter. IFP Advisors Inc now owns 133 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $45,000 after acquiring an additional 80 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 93.90% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Evercore ISI began coverage on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in a research report on Tuesday, March 18th. They set an "outperform" rating and a $275.00 target price for the company. Stephens upgraded shares of West Pharmaceutical Services to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Monday, April 21st. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upgraded West Pharmaceutical Services from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $250.00 price target on the stock in a research report on Friday, February 14th. Citigroup initiated coverage on West Pharmaceutical Services in a research report on Wednesday, January 8th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $400.00 price objective for the company. Finally, KeyCorp decreased their target price on West Pharmaceutical Services from $470.00 to $325.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, February 14th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, six have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $332.50.

West Pharmaceutical Services Stock Down 0.7 %

NYSE WST traded down $1.41 during trading hours on Tuesday, reaching $214.71. 199,367 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 995,201. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.08, a quick ratio of 2.23 and a current ratio of 2.79. West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. has a one year low of $187.43 and a one year high of $372.79. The company's 50-day moving average is $218.17 and its two-hundred day moving average is $283.19. The company has a market capitalization of $15.52 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 32.09, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 6.74 and a beta of 1.22.

West Pharmaceutical Services (NYSE:WST - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 24th. The medical instruments supplier reported $1.45 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.22 by $0.23. The business had revenue of $698.00 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $685.24 million. West Pharmaceutical Services had a net margin of 17.03% and a return on equity of 18.60%. The firm's quarterly revenue was up .4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the business posted $1.56 earnings per share. On average, analysts forecast that West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. will post 6.62 EPS for the current fiscal year.

West Pharmaceutical Services Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, August 6th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, July 30th will be given a dividend of $0.21 per share. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, July 30th. This represents a $0.84 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.39%. West Pharmaceutical Services's dividend payout ratio is currently 13.19%.

West Pharmaceutical Services Company Profile

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.