Parr Mcknight Wealth Management Group LLC purchased a new stake in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST - Free Report) in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor purchased 2,989 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock, valued at approximately $979,000.
Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Whipplewood Advisors LLC bought a new position in West Pharmaceutical Services during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Centricity Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in West Pharmaceutical Services during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $35,000. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC raised its position in West Pharmaceutical Services by 57.1% during the 4th quarter. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC now owns 110 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $38,000 after purchasing an additional 40 shares during the last quarter. Private Trust Co. NA raised its position in West Pharmaceutical Services by 138.6% during the 4th quarter. Private Trust Co. NA now owns 136 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $45,000 after purchasing an additional 79 shares during the last quarter. Finally, IFP Advisors Inc raised its position in West Pharmaceutical Services by 150.9% during the 4th quarter. IFP Advisors Inc now owns 133 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $45,000 after purchasing an additional 80 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 93.90% of the company's stock.
Analysts Set New Price Targets
A number of research analysts have weighed in on the company. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upgraded West Pharmaceutical Services from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $250.00 target price on the stock in a report on Friday, February 14th. Evercore ISI assumed coverage on West Pharmaceutical Services in a report on Tuesday, March 18th. They set an "outperform" rating and a $275.00 target price on the stock. Citigroup reiterated a "buy" rating on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in a report on Thursday, May 22nd. KeyCorp reduced their target price on West Pharmaceutical Services from $470.00 to $325.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, February 14th. Finally, Stephens upgraded West Pharmaceutical Services to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Monday, April 21st. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, six have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, West Pharmaceutical Services presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $332.50.
Get Our Latest Analysis on West Pharmaceutical Services
West Pharmaceutical Services Stock Up 2.6%
NYSE:WST traded up $5.26 during trading hours on Tuesday, reaching $210.85. 559,855 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 726,896. The business's 50-day moving average price is $212.63 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $269.89. The stock has a market capitalization of $15.15 billion, a P/E ratio of 31.52, a P/E/G ratio of 6.74 and a beta of 1.14. West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. has a 1 year low of $187.43 and a 1 year high of $352.33. The company has a current ratio of 2.79, a quick ratio of 2.23 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.08.
West Pharmaceutical Services (NYSE:WST - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results 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 return on equity of 18.60% and a net margin of 17.03%. The business had revenue of $698.00 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $685.24 million. During the same period last year, the business posted $1.56 EPS. The company's revenue was up .4% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts predict that West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. will post 6.62 earnings per share for the current year.
West Pharmaceutical Services Announces Dividend
The company 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 of this dividend is Wednesday, July 30th. This represents a $0.84 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.40%. West Pharmaceutical Services's payout ratio is 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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