Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. Has $2.84 Million Stock Holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST)

Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. grew its stake in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST - Free Report) by 17.4% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 12,784 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock after acquiring an additional 1,893 shares during the period. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd.'s holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services were worth $2,841,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of WST. IFP Advisors Inc increased its stake in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 150.9% during the fourth 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 period. Private Trust Co. NA grew its holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services by 138.6% in the 4th quarter. Private Trust Co. NA now owns 136 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $45,000 after buying an additional 79 shares in the last quarter. Opal Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new position in West Pharmaceutical Services in the 1st quarter valued at $53,000. Whipplewood Advisors LLC increased its position in 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 buying an additional 186 shares during the period. Finally, Lindbrook Capital LLC lifted its holdings 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 buying an additional 65 shares in the last quarter. 93.90% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

West Pharmaceutical Services Price Performance

WST stock traded up $0.53 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $221.75. The stock had a trading volume of 370,766 shares, compared to its average volume of 735,377. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $215.83 and a 200 day simple moving average of $249.79. The firm has a market capitalization of $15.93 billion, a P/E ratio of 34.81, a P/E/G ratio of 5.47 and a beta of 1.09. 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 52 week low of $187.43 and a 52 week high of $352.33.

West Pharmaceutical Services (NYSE:WST - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data 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. West Pharmaceutical Services had a net margin of 16.13% and a return on equity of 18.23%. The business 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 business earned $1.56 earnings per share. The company's revenue was up .4% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, research analysts forecast that West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. will post 6.62 EPS 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 of this dividend is Wednesday, July 30th. This represents a $0.84 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.38%. West Pharmaceutical Services's dividend payout ratio is currently 13.19%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Barclays assumed coverage on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in a research report on Tuesday, June 24th. They issued an "equal weight" rating and a $245.00 target price for the company. Citigroup reissued a "buy" rating on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in a report on Thursday, May 22nd. Stephens upgraded shares of West Pharmaceutical Services to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Monday, April 21st. Finally, Evercore ISI started coverage on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in a report on Tuesday, March 18th. They set an "outperform" rating and a $275.00 target price on the stock. 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 stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, West Pharmaceutical Services currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $320.00.

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.