Bright Rock Capital Management LLC Purchases 4,000 Shares of West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST)

Bright Rock Capital Management LLC boosted its stake in West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST - Free Report) by 11.1% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 40,000 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock after buying an additional 4,000 shares during the period. West Pharmaceutical Services accounts for approximately 1.9% of Bright Rock Capital Management LLC's portfolio, making the stock its 19th largest position. Bright Rock Capital Management LLC owned 0.06% of West Pharmaceutical Services worth $8,955,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Fiera Capital Corp lifted its position in West Pharmaceutical Services by 13.2% during the 4th quarter. Fiera Capital Corp now owns 140,893 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $46,151,000 after acquiring an additional 16,418 shares during the period. Savant Capital LLC lifted its holdings in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 15.0% during the fourth quarter. Savant Capital LLC now owns 1,003 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $329,000 after purchasing an additional 131 shares during the last quarter. National Wealth Management Group LLC bought a new stake in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in the 4th quarter worth approximately $706,000. Consolidated Planning Corp boosted its position in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 188.3% in the 4th quarter. Consolidated Planning Corp now owns 3,140 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $1,029,000 after purchasing an additional 2,051 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC grew its stake in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 41.0% in the 4th quarter. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC now owns 571 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $187,000 after buying an additional 166 shares during the last quarter. 93.90% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages have issued reports on WST. Citigroup reiterated a "buy" rating on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in a research note on Thursday, May 22nd. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upgraded shares of West Pharmaceutical Services from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $250.00 price target on the stock in a research note on Friday, February 14th. Evercore ISI started coverage on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in a research note on Tuesday, March 18th. They set an "outperform" rating and a $275.00 price objective for the company. Stephens raised shares of West Pharmaceutical Services to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Monday, April 21st. Finally, Wall Street Zen cut shares of 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 issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, West Pharmaceutical Services has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $332.50.

West Pharmaceutical Services Price Performance

Shares of WST stock traded down $3.14 on Friday, reaching $221.77. The company's stock had a trading volume of 447,446 shares, compared to its average volume of 732,407. The company has a market capitalization of $15.93 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 33.15, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 6.74 and a beta of 1.09. The stock's fifty day simple moving average is $212.08 and its 200-day simple moving average is $260.57. The company has a current ratio of 2.79, a quick ratio of 2.23 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.

West Pharmaceutical Services (NYSE:WST - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 24th. The medical instruments supplier reported $1.45 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.22 by $0.23. The business had revenue of $698.00 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $685.24 million. West Pharmaceutical Services had a net margin of 17.03% and a return on equity of 18.60%. The business's revenue was up .4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the company posted $1.56 EPS. 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 business also recently disclosed 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. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, July 30th. This represents a $0.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.38%. West Pharmaceutical Services's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 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.