Forum Financial Management LP acquired a new position in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST - Free Report) during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor acquired 1,201 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock, valued at approximately $269,000.
Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. First Horizon Advisors Inc. increased its holdings in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 85.0% during the 1st quarter. First Horizon Advisors Inc. now owns 185 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $41,000 after acquiring an additional 85 shares during the last quarter. Edmond DE Rothschild Holding S.A. acquired a new position in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services during the 4th quarter worth approximately $74,000. Opal Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services during the 1st quarter worth approximately $53,000. Whipplewood Advisors LLC increased its holdings 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 acquiring an additional 186 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Exchange Traded Concepts LLC increased its holdings 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 acquiring an additional 92 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 93.90% of the company's stock.
West Pharmaceutical Services Price Performance
Shares of NYSE:WST traded down $10.68 during trading on Friday, reaching $210.91. 1,472,868 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 741,708. The company's 50 day moving average is $217.98 and its two-hundred day moving average is $241.78. The firm has a market capitalization of $15.15 billion, a PE ratio of 33.11, a PEG ratio of 5.19 and a beta of 1.09. The company has a quick ratio of 2.03, a current ratio of 2.77 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.08. West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. has a 52 week low of $187.43 and a 52 week high of $352.33.
West Pharmaceutical Services (NYSE:WST - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Thursday, April 24th. The medical instruments supplier reported $1.45 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.22 by $0.23. The firm had revenue of $698.00 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $685.24 million. West Pharmaceutical Services had a return on equity of 18.23% and a net margin of 16.13%. The company's revenue was up .4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $1.56 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. will post 6.62 earnings per share for the current year.
West Pharmaceutical Services Dividend Announcement
The firm also recently disclosed 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 dividend yield of 0.40%. West Pharmaceutical Services's dividend payout ratio is currently 13.19%.
Analyst Ratings Changes
WST has been the topic of a number of research reports. Barclays initiated coverage on West Pharmaceutical Services in a report on Tuesday, June 24th. They issued an "equal weight" rating and a $245.00 price objective on the stock. Citigroup reaffirmed a "buy" rating on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in a report on Thursday, May 22nd. Finally, Stephens raised West Pharmaceutical Services to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Monday, April 21st. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, six have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $320.00.
Read Our Latest Stock Report on WST
West Pharmaceutical Services Company Profile
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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.
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