National Pension Service Has $61,000 Stock Position in West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST)

Key Points

• The National Pension Service significantly reduced its holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services, selling 110,175 shares for a total of just $61,000 in value.
• Institutional investors own 93.90% of West Pharmaceutical Services' stock, with several firms increasing their positions substantially during the first quarter.
• West Pharmaceutical Services announced a quarterly dividend increase, raising the dividend to $0.22 per share, resulting in an annualized dividend yield of 0.4%.

National Pension Service lessened its holdings in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST - Free Report) by 99.8% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 272 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock after selling 110,175 shares during the period. National Pension Service's holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services were worth $61,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the business. DAVENPORT & Co LLC grew its position in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 103.8% in the 1st quarter. DAVENPORT & Co LLC now owns 2,230 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $499,000 after buying an additional 1,136 shares during the last quarter. Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. raised its position in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 34.7% during the first quarter. Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. now owns 5,581 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $1,249,000 after acquiring an additional 1,437 shares during the last quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. lifted its stake in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 43.7% in the first quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. now owns 1,075 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $241,000 after acquiring an additional 327 shares during the period. Sivik Global Healthcare LLC bought a new stake in West Pharmaceutical Services in the first quarter valued at approximately $2,799,000. Finally, State of Alaska Department of Revenue boosted its holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services by 2.7% in the first quarter. State of Alaska Department of Revenue now owns 8,486 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $1,899,000 after acquiring an additional 225 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 93.90% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts have issued reports on the stock. Barclays initiated coverage on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in a report on Tuesday, June 24th. They set an "equal weight" rating and a $245.00 price target for the company. Citigroup reissued a "buy" rating on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in a research note on Thursday, May 22nd. UBS Group boosted their target price on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services from $285.00 to $320.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, July 25th. Stephens upgraded West Pharmaceutical Services to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Monday, April 21st. Finally, Wall Street Zen raised West Pharmaceutical Services from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Saturday, July 26th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $320.71.

West Pharmaceutical Services Trading Down 0.0%

WST opened at $246.16 on Friday. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $230.05 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $228.59. West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. has a 1-year low of $187.43 and a 1-year high of $352.33. The company has a market cap of $17.70 billion, a P/E ratio of 36.85, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.36 and a beta of 1.05. The company has a current ratio of 2.78, a quick ratio of 2.08 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.07.

West Pharmaceutical Services (NYSE:WST - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, July 24th. The medical instruments supplier reported $1.84 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.51 by $0.33. The business had revenue of $766.50 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $725.11 million. West Pharmaceutical Services had a return on equity of 18.43% and a net margin of 16.48%. The firm's revenue was up 9.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $1.52 EPS. Analysts predict that West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. will post 6.62 EPS for the current fiscal year.

West Pharmaceutical Services Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, November 19th. Investors of record on Wednesday, November 12th will be issued a $0.22 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, November 12th. This represents a $0.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.4%. This is an increase from West Pharmaceutical Services's previous quarterly dividend of $0.21. West Pharmaceutical Services's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 12.57%.

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.

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