Seilern Investment Management Ltd Reduces Position in West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST)

Seilern Investment Management Ltd lessened its stake in West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST - Free Report) by 0.6% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 441,357 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock after selling 2,468 shares during the quarter. West Pharmaceutical Services comprises about 6.5% of Seilern Investment Management Ltd's holdings, making the stock its 6th largest holding. Seilern Investment Management Ltd owned approximately 0.61% of West Pharmaceutical Services worth $98,811,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Whipplewood Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Centricity Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in the fourth quarter worth $35,000. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC raised its holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services by 57.1% in the fourth quarter. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC now owns 110 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $38,000 after acquiring an additional 40 shares in the last quarter. Private Trust Co. NA raised its holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services by 138.6% in the fourth quarter. Private Trust Co. NA now owns 136 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $45,000 after acquiring an additional 79 shares in the last quarter. Finally, IFP Advisors Inc boosted its stake 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 acquiring an additional 80 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 93.90% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Stephens raised shares of West Pharmaceutical Services to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Monday, April 21st. Evercore ISI initiated coverage on West Pharmaceutical Services in a research note on Tuesday, March 18th. They set an "outperform" rating and a $275.00 price objective on the stock. Wall Street Zen lowered West Pharmaceutical Services from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Thursday, February 27th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upgraded West Pharmaceutical Services from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $250.00 price target for the company in a report on Friday, February 14th. Finally, KeyCorp reduced their price objective on West Pharmaceutical Services from $470.00 to $325.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, February 14th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, six have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $332.50.

West Pharmaceutical Services Stock Performance

Shares of West Pharmaceutical Services stock traded down $0.80 during trading on Monday, hitting $223.89. 849,616 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 732,903. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.08, a quick ratio of 2.23 and a current ratio of 2.79. West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. has a 12 month low of $187.43 and a 12 month high of $352.33. The stock's fifty day moving average is $210.35 and its 200 day moving average is $263.05. The stock has a market cap of $16.09 billion, a PE ratio of 33.47, a P/E/G ratio of 6.74 and a beta of 1.09.

West Pharmaceutical Services (NYSE:WST - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, April 24th. The medical instruments supplier reported $1.45 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.22 by $0.23. West Pharmaceutical Services had a net margin of 17.03% and a return on equity of 18.60%. The firm had revenue of $698.00 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $685.24 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $1.56 EPS. West Pharmaceutical Services's quarterly revenue was up .4% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. will post 6.62 EPS for the current year.

West Pharmaceutical Services Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, August 6th. Investors of record on Wednesday, July 30th will be issued a $0.21 dividend. This represents a $0.84 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.38%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, July 30th. West Pharmaceutical Services's payout ratio is currently 13.19%.

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.