Sivik Global Healthcare LLC Buys New Position in West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST)

Sivik Global Healthcare LLC bought a new stake in West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST - Free Report) during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm bought 12,500 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock, valued at approximately $2,799,000. West Pharmaceutical Services comprises about 1.5% of Sivik Global Healthcare LLC's holdings, making the stock its 28th biggest holding.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Whipplewood Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in West Pharmaceutical Services in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Centricity Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in West Pharmaceutical Services in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $35,000. IFP Advisors Inc grew its stake in 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 purchasing an additional 80 shares in the last quarter. Private Trust Co. NA grew its stake 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 purchasing an additional 79 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Lindbrook Capital LLC grew its stake in West Pharmaceutical Services by 41.9% in the fourth quarter. Lindbrook Capital LLC now owns 220 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $72,000 after purchasing an additional 65 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 93.90% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms have weighed in on WST. Wall Street Zen downgraded West Pharmaceutical Services from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Thursday, February 27th. Citigroup restated a "buy" rating on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in a research note on Thursday, May 22nd. Evercore ISI began coverage on West Pharmaceutical Services in a research note on Tuesday, March 18th. They issued an "outperform" rating and a $275.00 price target for the company. Finally, Stephens upgraded West Pharmaceutical Services to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Monday, April 21st. Two investment 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.com, West Pharmaceutical Services currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $332.50.

West Pharmaceutical Services Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE WST opened at $216.11 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 2.77, a quick ratio of 2.03 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.08. West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. has a 12 month low of $187.43 and a 12 month high of $352.33. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $213.74 and a 200-day moving average of $256.97. The company has a market capitalization of $15.53 billion, a P/E ratio of 33.93, a P/E/G 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 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate 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 the consensus estimate of $685.24 million. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $1.56 EPS. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up .4% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities research analysts predict that West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. will post 6.62 EPS 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. Investors 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 yield of 0.39%. West Pharmaceutical Services's payout ratio is currently 13.19%.

West Pharmaceutical Services Company 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.

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