M&T Bank Corp Sells 1,474 Shares of West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST)

M&T Bank Corp decreased its stake in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST - Free Report) by 1.9% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 78,000 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock after selling 1,474 shares during the period. M&T Bank Corp owned approximately 0.11% of West Pharmaceutical Services worth $17,463,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of WST. Quadrant Capital Group LLC boosted its stake in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 5.4% in the 4th quarter. Quadrant Capital Group LLC now owns 626 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $205,000 after purchasing an additional 32 shares in the last quarter. SlateStone Wealth LLC boosted its stake in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 2.5% in the 4th quarter. SlateStone Wealth LLC now owns 2,090 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $685,000 after purchasing an additional 50 shares in the last quarter. Boston Trust Walden Corp boosted its stake in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 4.7% in the 1st quarter. Boston Trust Walden Corp now owns 1,110 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $249,000 after purchasing an additional 50 shares in the last quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC boosted its stake in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 5.8% in the 4th quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 978 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $320,000 after purchasing an additional 54 shares in the last quarter. Finally, MGO One Seven LLC boosted its stake in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 4.4% in the 4th quarter. MGO One Seven LLC now owns 1,277 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $418,000 after purchasing an additional 54 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 93.90% of the company's stock.

West Pharmaceutical Services Trading Up 2.0%

NYSE:WST traded up $4.57 on Thursday, hitting $230.75. 240,264 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 863,931. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.08, a quick ratio of 2.03 and a current ratio of 2.77. The stock has a market capitalization of $16.58 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 36.23, a P/E/G ratio of 5.42 and a beta of 1.09. The company's 50-day moving average price is $216.38 and its 200 day moving average price is $247.61. 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 results 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. The company had revenue of $698.00 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $685.24 million. West Pharmaceutical Services had a return on equity of 18.23% and a net margin of 16.13%. West Pharmaceutical Services's revenue was up .4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $1.56 EPS. On average, equities research analysts forecast that West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. will post 6.62 earnings per share for the current year.

West Pharmaceutical Services Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, August 6th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, July 30th will be paid a $0.21 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, July 30th. This represents a $0.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.36%. 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 the stock. Evercore ISI assumed coverage on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in a research note on Tuesday, March 18th. They issued an "outperform" rating and a $275.00 target price on the stock. Barclays began coverage on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in a research report on Tuesday, June 24th. They set an "equal weight" rating and a $245.00 price target on the stock. Stephens upgraded shares of West Pharmaceutical Services to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Monday, April 21st. Finally, Citigroup reiterated a "buy" rating on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in a research report on Thursday, May 22nd. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, six have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $320.00.

About West Pharmaceutical Services

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.