PNC Financial Services Group Inc. Has $5.10 Million Stock Position in West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST)

PNC Financial Services Group Inc. increased its position in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST - Free Report) by 17.0% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 22,779 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock after buying an additional 3,315 shares during the quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc.'s holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services were worth $5,100,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Brown Advisory Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 28.1% during the first quarter. Brown Advisory Inc. now owns 3,268,478 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $731,747,000 after acquiring an additional 716,442 shares during the period. FMR LLC raised its position in West Pharmaceutical Services by 83.1% in the 4th quarter. FMR LLC now owns 1,090,603 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $357,238,000 after purchasing an additional 494,828 shares during the last quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC boosted its stake in West Pharmaceutical Services by 15.7% in the fourth quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 790,709 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $259,005,000 after purchasing an additional 107,359 shares in the last quarter. Northern Trust Corp grew its holdings in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 16.6% during the fourth quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 768,848 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $251,844,000 after purchasing an additional 109,481 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Invesco Ltd. increased its stake in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 1.1% in the fourth quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 755,239 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $247,386,000 after buying an additional 7,876 shares in the last quarter. 93.90% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

West Pharmaceutical Services Stock Up 0.3%

WST traded up $0.76 during trading on Friday, reaching $241.30. 445,204 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 867,318. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.07, a quick ratio of 2.08 and a current ratio of 2.78. The stock's 50 day moving average price is $226.55 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $233.56. West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. has a twelve month low of $187.43 and a twelve month high of $352.33. The stock has a market cap of $17.35 billion, a P/E ratio of 36.12, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.20 and a beta of 1.05.

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

West Pharmaceutical Services Increases Dividend

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

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Stephens raised West Pharmaceutical Services to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Monday, April 21st. Citigroup reaffirmed a "buy" rating on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in a research note on Thursday, May 22nd. Barclays assumed 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 for the company. Evercore ISI increased their price objective on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services from $275.00 to $350.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Friday, July 25th. Finally, UBS Group raised their price objective on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services from $285.00 to $320.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, July 25th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $320.71.

West Pharmaceutical Services 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.