Bell Bank Has $201,000 Stake in West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST)

Bell Bank cut its position in West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST - Free Report) by 75.9% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 897 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock after selling 2,827 shares during the quarter. Bell Bank's holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services were worth $201,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Savant Capital LLC boosted its stake in West Pharmaceutical Services by 15.0% in the fourth quarter. Savant Capital LLC now owns 1,003 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $329,000 after buying an additional 131 shares in the last quarter. National Wealth Management Group LLC bought a new position in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in the fourth quarter worth about $706,000. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC boosted its stake in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 41.0% in the 4th quarter. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC now owns 571 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $187,000 after purchasing an additional 166 shares in the last quarter. IFP Advisors Inc grew its holdings in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 150.9% during the 4th quarter. IFP Advisors Inc now owns 133 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $45,000 after purchasing an additional 80 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Jones Financial Companies Lllp increased its position in West Pharmaceutical Services by 65.3% during the 4th quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp now owns 1,111 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $364,000 after purchasing an additional 439 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 93.90% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have weighed in on the stock. Citigroup restated a "buy" rating on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in a research report on Thursday, May 22nd. Stephens raised West Pharmaceutical Services to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Monday, April 21st. Wall Street Zen lowered West Pharmaceutical Services from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Thursday, February 27th. Finally, Evercore ISI began coverage on West Pharmaceutical Services in a research report on Tuesday, March 18th. They issued an "outperform" rating and a $275.00 target price for the company. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, six have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, West Pharmaceutical Services currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $332.50.

West Pharmaceutical Services Trading Down 2.7%

NYSE WST opened at $218.18 on Wednesday. The firm has a market capitalization of $15.68 billion, a PE ratio of 34.25, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 5.52 and a beta of 1.09. The business's 50-day moving average price is $213.06 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $258.70. The company has a current ratio of 2.77, a quick ratio of 2.03 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.08. West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. has a 12 month low of $187.43 and a 12 month high of $352.33.

West Pharmaceutical Services (NYSE:WST - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, April 24th. The medical instruments supplier reported $1.45 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.22 by $0.23. The business had revenue of $698.00 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $685.24 million. West Pharmaceutical Services had a return on equity of 18.23% and a net margin of 16.13%. The firm's revenue was up .4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $1.56 earnings per share. On average, analysts expect that West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. will post 6.62 EPS for the current 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. This represents a $0.84 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.39%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, July 30th. West Pharmaceutical Services's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 13.19%.

West Pharmaceutical Services 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.

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