Cypress Advisory Group LLC acquired a new stake in West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST - Free Report) in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor acquired 3,485 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock, valued at approximately $780,000.
Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Whipplewood Advisors LLC acquired a new position in West Pharmaceutical Services in the fourth quarter valued at about $25,000. Centricity Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in the 4th quarter valued at about $35,000. IFP Advisors Inc lifted its position 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 worth $45,000 after purchasing an additional 80 shares during the last quarter. Private Trust Co. NA increased its stake in West Pharmaceutical Services by 138.6% in the fourth quarter. Private Trust Co. NA now owns 136 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $45,000 after purchasing an additional 79 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Lindbrook Capital LLC increased its position in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 41.9% during the fourth quarter. Lindbrook Capital LLC now owns 220 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $72,000 after purchasing an additional 65 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 93.90% of the company's stock.
West Pharmaceutical Services Stock Performance
NYSE:WST opened at $221.77 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.08, a current ratio of 2.79 and a quick ratio of 2.23. The firm has a market cap of $15.93 billion, a PE ratio of 33.15, a P/E/G ratio of 6.74 and a beta of 1.09. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $212.08 and a 200-day simple moving average of $259.69. West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. has a 1-year low of $187.43 and a 1-year high of $352.33.
West Pharmaceutical Services (NYSE:WST - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 24th. The medical instruments supplier reported $1.45 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.22 by $0.23. West Pharmaceutical Services had a return on equity of 18.60% and a net margin of 17.03%. The company had revenue of $698.00 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $685.24 million. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $1.56 EPS. West Pharmaceutical Services's revenue was up .4% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts expect that West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. will post 6.62 EPS for the current year.
West Pharmaceutical Services Dividend Announcement
The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, August 6th. Investors 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 yield of 0.38%. West Pharmaceutical Services's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 13.19%.
Wall Street Analyst Weigh In
Several equities research analysts have recently commented on WST shares. Evercore ISI began coverage on West Pharmaceutical Services in a research note on Tuesday, March 18th. They set an "outperform" rating and a $275.00 price target for the company. Wall Street Zen cut West Pharmaceutical Services from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Thursday, February 27th. Citigroup reiterated a "buy" rating on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in a research report on Thursday, May 22nd. Finally, Stephens upgraded shares of West Pharmaceutical Services to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Monday, April 21st. Two 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 MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $332.50.
Check Out Our Latest Stock Report on WST
About West Pharmaceutical Services
(
Free Report)
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.
Further Reading
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