Harel Insurance Investments & Financial Services Ltd. purchased a new stake in West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST - Free Report) in the first quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor purchased 2,120 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock, valued at approximately $475,000.
Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. IFP Advisors Inc lifted its holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services by 150.9% in the 4th quarter. IFP Advisors Inc now owns 133 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $45,000 after acquiring an additional 80 shares during the last quarter. First Horizon Advisors Inc. lifted its holdings 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 during the last quarter. Lindbrook Capital LLC lifted its holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services by 41.9% in the 4th quarter. Lindbrook Capital LLC now owns 220 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $72,000 after acquiring an additional 65 shares during the last quarter. Edmond DE Rothschild Holding S.A. acquired a new stake in West Pharmaceutical Services in the 4th quarter valued at about $74,000. Finally, Opal Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in West Pharmaceutical Services in the 1st quarter valued at about $53,000. 93.90% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.
Wall Street Analyst Weigh In
WST has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. Citigroup reaffirmed a "buy" rating on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in a research note on Thursday, May 22nd. Evercore ISI initiated coverage on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in a research note on Tuesday, March 18th. They set an "outperform" rating and a $275.00 price objective for the company. Stephens raised shares of West Pharmaceutical Services to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Monday, April 21st. Finally, Barclays initiated coverage on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in a research note on Tuesday, June 24th. They set an "equal weight" rating and a $245.00 price objective for the company. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, six have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, West Pharmaceutical Services currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $320.00.
Check Out Our Latest Analysis on WST
West Pharmaceutical Services Stock Down 0.4%
Shares of WST traded down $0.79 during trading hours on Tuesday, reaching $220.69. The company's stock had a trading volume of 645,398 shares, compared to its average volume of 736,962. The firm has a market cap of $15.86 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 34.65, a P/E/G ratio of 5.45 and a beta of 1.09. West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. has a 1-year low of $187.43 and a 1-year high of $352.33. The company has a quick ratio of 2.03, a current ratio of 2.77 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.08. The company has a 50 day moving average of $216.08 and a two-hundred day moving average of $247.76.
West Pharmaceutical Services (NYSE:WST - Get Free Report) last issued 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. West Pharmaceutical Services had a return on equity of 18.23% and a net margin of 16.13%. The company had revenue of $698.00 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $685.24 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $1.56 EPS. The firm's quarterly revenue was up .4% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, research analysts predict that West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. will post 6.62 EPS for the current fiscal year.
West Pharmaceutical Services Dividend Announcement
The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, August 6th. Investors of record on Wednesday, July 30th will be issued a $0.21 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, July 30th. This represents a $0.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.38%. West Pharmaceutical Services's dividend payout ratio is currently 13.19%.
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.
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