Riverbridge Partners LLC Sells 26,887 Shares of West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST)

Riverbridge Partners LLC lowered its stake in West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST - Free Report) by 6.2% in the first quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 408,406 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock after selling 26,887 shares during the quarter. West Pharmaceutical Services makes up approximately 1.5% of Riverbridge Partners LLC's investment portfolio, making the stock its 21st largest position. Riverbridge Partners LLC owned 0.56% of West Pharmaceutical Services worth $91,434,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in WST. Whipplewood Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services during the fourth quarter worth $25,000. Centricity Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in West Pharmaceutical Services during the 4th quarter worth about $35,000. Private Trust Co. NA grew its position in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 138.6% in the 4th quarter. Private Trust Co. NA now owns 136 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $45,000 after buying an additional 79 shares during the last quarter. IFP Advisors Inc increased its stake in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 150.9% in the fourth quarter. IFP Advisors Inc now owns 133 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $45,000 after buying an additional 80 shares during the period. Finally, Opal Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services during the first quarter worth about $53,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 93.90% of the company's stock.

West Pharmaceutical Services Stock Down 0.8%

WST traded down $1.85 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $216.11. The company had a trading volume of 858,025 shares, compared to its average volume of 729,957. The stock's 50 day moving average price is $213.74 and its 200 day moving average price is $256.97. West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. has a 52 week low of $187.43 and a 52 week high of $352.33. The company has a quick ratio of 2.03, a current ratio of 2.77 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.08. The company has a market capitalization of $15.53 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 33.93, a PEG ratio of 5.36 and a beta of 1.09.

West Pharmaceutical Services (NYSE:WST - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, April 24th. The medical instruments supplier reported $1.45 earnings per share 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 for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $685.24 million. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $1.56 earnings per share. West Pharmaceutical Services's revenue for the quarter was up .4% on a year-over-year basis. On average, research analysts anticipate that West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. will post 6.62 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

West Pharmaceutical Services Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed 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. This represents a $0.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.39%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, July 30th. West Pharmaceutical Services's dividend payout ratio is currently 13.19%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

WST has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. Evercore ISI assumed coverage on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in a research report on Tuesday, March 18th. They set an "outperform" rating and a $275.00 target price for the company. Citigroup reiterated a "buy" rating on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in a research report on Thursday, May 22nd. Stephens upgraded shares of West Pharmaceutical Services to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Monday, April 21st. Finally, Wall Street Zen downgraded West Pharmaceutical Services from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Thursday, February 27th. Two 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 stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $332.50.

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.