Ethic Inc. Has $1.10 Million Position in West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST)

Ethic Inc. lessened its position in West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST - Free Report) by 52.8% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 3,348 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock after selling 3,751 shares during the period. Ethic Inc.'s holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services were worth $1,097,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of WST. Fiera Capital Corp lifted its position in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 13.2% during the fourth quarter. Fiera Capital Corp now owns 140,893 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $46,151,000 after acquiring an additional 16,418 shares in the last quarter. Trust Point Inc. lifted its stake in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 321.0% in the 4th quarter. Trust Point Inc. now owns 3,183 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $1,043,000 after purchasing an additional 2,427 shares during the period. Savant Capital LLC increased its stake in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 15.0% during the fourth quarter. Savant Capital LLC now owns 1,003 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $329,000 after purchasing an additional 131 shares in the last quarter. Avanza Fonder AB purchased a new position in West Pharmaceutical Services during the fourth quarter valued at $2,553,000. Finally, Tokio Marine Asset Management Co. Ltd. boosted its position in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 904.2% during the fourth quarter. Tokio Marine Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 21,941 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $7,187,000 after buying an additional 19,756 shares during the last quarter. 93.90% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

West Pharmaceutical Services Stock Performance

Shares of WST stock traded up $0.33 on Monday, hitting $216.97. 69,962 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 950,743. The company has a market capitalization of $15.59 billion, a PE ratio of 32.43, a PEG ratio of 6.74 and a beta of 1.14. The company's fifty day moving average is $214.89 and its 200 day moving average is $274.57. West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. has a 1-year low of $187.43 and a 1-year high of $355.66. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.08, a current ratio of 2.79 and a quick ratio of 2.23.

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

West Pharmaceutical Services Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, August 6th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, July 30th will be paid a $0.21 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend 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 (DPR) is currently 13.19%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Stephens raised West Pharmaceutical Services to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Monday, April 21st. KeyCorp decreased their price target on West Pharmaceutical Services from $470.00 to $325.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, February 14th. Evercore ISI started coverage on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in a report on Tuesday, March 18th. They set an "outperform" rating and a $275.00 price objective on the stock. StockNews.com cut West Pharmaceutical Services from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Thursday, February 27th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upgraded West Pharmaceutical Services from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $250.00 target price on the stock in a research report on Friday, February 14th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, six have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $332.50.

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.