New York State Common Retirement Fund cut its position in West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST - Free Report) by 20.8% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 75,205 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock after selling 19,777 shares during the quarter. New York State Common Retirement Fund owned about 0.10% of West Pharmaceutical Services worth $16,837,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.
Several other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in WST. First Horizon Advisors Inc. boosted its stake 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 purchasing an additional 85 shares during the period. Opal Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new stake in West Pharmaceutical Services in the 1st quarter valued at $53,000. Whipplewood Advisors LLC boosted its stake in West Pharmaceutical Services by 248.0% in the 1st quarter. Whipplewood Advisors LLC now owns 261 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $58,000 after purchasing an additional 186 shares during the period. Edmond DE Rothschild Holding S.A. acquired a new position in West Pharmaceutical Services in the 4th quarter valued at $74,000. Finally, Exchange Traded Concepts LLC raised its holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services by 38.5% in the 1st quarter. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC now owns 331 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $74,000 after acquiring an additional 92 shares in the last quarter. 93.90% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.
West Pharmaceutical Services Price Performance
Shares of West Pharmaceutical Services stock traded down $2.58 during trading on Thursday, reaching $221.80. 532,410 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 737,200. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.08, a quick ratio of 2.03 and a current ratio of 2.77. 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 $15.94 billion, a P/E ratio of 34.82, a PEG ratio of 5.52 and a beta of 1.09. The firm's 50-day moving average price is $217.88 and its 200 day moving average price is $243.92.
West Pharmaceutical Services (NYSE:WST - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 24th. The medical instruments supplier reported $1.45 EPS for the quarter, topping 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 during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $685.24 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $1.56 EPS. West Pharmaceutical Services's revenue was up .4% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, research analysts anticipate 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 declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, August 6th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, July 30th will be issued a dividend of $0.21 per share. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, July 30th. This represents a $0.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.38%. West Pharmaceutical Services's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 13.19%.
Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades
Several brokerages have weighed in on WST. Citigroup reaffirmed a "buy" rating on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in a report on Thursday, May 22nd. Barclays began coverage on West Pharmaceutical Services in a report on Tuesday, June 24th. They issued an "equal weight" rating and a $245.00 price objective for the company. 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 company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $320.00.
Check Out Our Latest Stock Report on WST
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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