Crossmark Global Holdings Inc. Purchases 1,413 Shares of West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST)

Crossmark Global Holdings Inc. increased its holdings in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST - Free Report) by 17.9% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 9,290 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock after purchasing an additional 1,413 shares during the period. Crossmark Global Holdings Inc.'s holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services were worth $2,080,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. First Horizon Advisors Inc. lifted its stake in West Pharmaceutical Services by 85.0% in the 1st quarter. First Horizon Advisors Inc. now owns 185 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $41,000 after acquiring an additional 85 shares in the last quarter. Opal Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services during the 1st quarter worth approximately $53,000. Whipplewood Advisors LLC raised its stake in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 248.0% during the 1st quarter. Whipplewood Advisors LLC now owns 261 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $58,000 after purchasing an additional 186 shares in the last quarter. Edmond DE Rothschild Holding S.A. bought a new stake in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services during the 4th quarter worth approximately $74,000. Finally, Exchange Traded Concepts LLC raised its stake in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 38.5% during the 1st quarter. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC now owns 331 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $74,000 after purchasing an additional 92 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 93.90% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

WST has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. Evercore ISI initiated coverage on West Pharmaceutical Services in a research note on Tuesday, March 18th. They set an "outperform" rating and a $275.00 price objective on the stock. Barclays began coverage on West Pharmaceutical Services in a report on Tuesday, June 24th. They set an "equal weight" rating and a $245.00 target price on the stock. Stephens raised West Pharmaceutical Services to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Monday, April 21st. Finally, Citigroup reissued a "buy" rating on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in a report on Thursday, May 22nd. Three equities 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 company's stock. According to MarketBeat, West Pharmaceutical Services currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $320.00.

West Pharmaceutical Services Stock Performance

NYSE WST traded down $2.30 on Friday, reaching $226.93. The stock had a trading volume of 465,375 shares, compared to its average volume of 737,107. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.08, a current ratio of 2.77 and a quick ratio of 2.03. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $217.07 and a two-hundred day moving average of $246.19. West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. has a 1-year low of $187.43 and a 1-year high of $352.33. The company has a market cap of $16.30 billion, a P/E ratio of 35.62, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 5.64 and a beta of 1.09.

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, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.22 by $0.23. West Pharmaceutical Services had a return on equity of 18.23% and a net margin of 16.13%. The firm had revenue of $698.00 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $685.24 million. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $1.56 EPS. The company's revenue for the quarter was up .4% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. will post 6.62 EPS for the current year.

West Pharmaceutical Services Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, August 6th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, July 30th will be issued a $0.21 dividend. This represents a $0.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.37%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, July 30th. West Pharmaceutical Services's dividend payout ratio is 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.