Teacher Retirement System of Texas raised its position in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST - Free Report) by 1,459.5% during the first quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 10,589 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock after acquiring an additional 9,910 shares during the period. Teacher Retirement System of Texas' holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services were worth $2,371,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.
A number of other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. First Horizon Advisors Inc. grew its holdings in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 85.0% in the first quarter. First Horizon Advisors Inc. now owns 185 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $41,000 after purchasing an additional 85 shares during the last quarter. Opal Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in the first quarter worth about $53,000. Whipplewood Advisors LLC grew its holdings in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 248.0% in the first quarter. Whipplewood Advisors LLC now owns 261 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $58,000 after purchasing an additional 186 shares during the last quarter. Edmond DE Rothschild Holding S.A. bought a new position in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in the fourth quarter worth about $74,000. Finally, Exchange Traded Concepts LLC grew its holdings in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 38.5% in the first quarter. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC now owns 331 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $74,000 after purchasing an additional 92 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 93.90% of the company's stock.
Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth
A number of research analysts have recently commented on the stock. Citigroup restated a "buy" rating on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in a report on Thursday, May 22nd. Stephens upgraded shares of West Pharmaceutical Services to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Monday, April 21st. Barclays initiated coverage on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in a report on Tuesday, June 24th. They issued an "equal weight" rating and a $245.00 price target on the stock. Finally, Evercore ISI initiated coverage on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in a research note on Tuesday, March 18th. They issued an "outperform" rating and a $275.00 price objective for the company. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, six have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $320.00.
Read Our Latest Stock Analysis on West Pharmaceutical Services
West Pharmaceutical Services Stock Down 1.0%
NYSE:WST traded down $2.30 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $226.93. The company's stock had a trading volume of 465,375 shares, compared to its average volume of 737,107. West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. has a 1 year low of $187.43 and a 1 year high of $352.33. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $217.07 and a 200-day moving average of $246.19. The firm has a market capitalization of $16.30 billion, a PE ratio of 35.62, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 5.64 and a beta of 1.09. The company has a quick ratio of 2.03, a current ratio of 2.77 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.08.
West Pharmaceutical Services (NYSE:WST - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data 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. The company had revenue of $698.00 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $685.24 million. West Pharmaceutical Services had a net margin of 16.13% and a return on equity of 18.23%. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up .4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $1.56 earnings per share. Equities research analysts forecast that West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. will post 6.62 earnings per share for the current year.
West Pharmaceutical Services Dividend Announcement
The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, August 6th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, July 30th will be given a dividend of $0.21 per share. This represents a $0.84 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.37%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, July 30th. West Pharmaceutical Services's payout ratio is 13.19%.
West Pharmaceutical Services Profile
(
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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