Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH acquired a new stake in West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST - Free Report) in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund acquired 44,965 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock, valued at approximately $14,729,000. Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH owned about 0.06% of West Pharmaceutical Services as of its most recent SEC filing.
Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Whipplewood Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Centricity Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in West Pharmaceutical Services during the 4th quarter valued at $35,000. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC boosted its stake in West Pharmaceutical Services by 57.1% during the 4th quarter. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC now owns 110 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $38,000 after purchasing an additional 40 shares in the last quarter. Private Trust Co. NA boosted its stake in West Pharmaceutical Services by 138.6% during the 4th 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, 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 purchasing an additional 80 shares in the last quarter. 93.90% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.
West Pharmaceutical Services Stock Up 0.1%
Shares of WST traded up $0.26 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $210.72. The company's stock had a trading volume of 879,573 shares, compared to its average volume of 728,328. The company has a quick ratio of 2.23, a current ratio of 2.79 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.08. West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. has a 1 year low of $187.43 and a 1 year high of $352.33. The business has a fifty day moving average of $211.20 and a 200 day moving average of $266.93. The company has a market cap of $15.14 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 31.50, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 6.74 and a beta of 1.14.
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, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.22 by $0.23. West Pharmaceutical Services had a return on equity of 18.60% and a net margin of 17.03%. The firm had revenue of $698.00 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $685.24 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $1.56 earnings per share. The business's quarterly revenue was up .4% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, analysts forecast that West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. will post 6.62 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.
West Pharmaceutical Services Announces Dividend
The company also recently declared 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. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, July 30th. This represents a $0.84 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.40%. West Pharmaceutical Services's dividend payout ratio is 13.19%.
Analysts Set New Price Targets
A number of brokerages have issued reports on WST. Citigroup reaffirmed a "buy" rating on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in a research note on Thursday, May 22nd. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised West Pharmaceutical Services from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $250.00 price target for the company in a research note on Friday, February 14th. Stephens upgraded West Pharmaceutical Services to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Monday, April 21st. Wall Street Zen downgraded West Pharmaceutical Services from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Thursday, February 27th. Finally, Evercore ISI initiated coverage on West Pharmaceutical Services in a research report on Tuesday, March 18th. They set an "outperform" rating and a $275.00 price objective for the company. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, six have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $332.50.
Read Our Latest Stock Analysis on WST
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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