West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST) Shares Bought by Fjarde AP Fonden Fourth Swedish National Pension Fund

Key Points

• Fjarde AP Fonden Fourth Swedish National Pension Fund increased its stake in West Pharmaceutical Services by 15.3% during the first quarter, now owning 15,100 shares valued at $3,381,000.
• West Pharmaceutical Services reported earnings of $1.84 per share for the last quarter, exceeding the estimate by $0.33, alongside a revenue increase of 9.2% year-over-year.
• The company announced a dividend increase, with a quarterly payout of $0.22 scheduled for November 19, raising its annualized dividend yield to 0.4%.

Fjarde AP Fonden Fourth Swedish National Pension Fund raised its stake in West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST - Free Report) by 15.3% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 15,100 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock after acquiring an additional 2,000 shares during the quarter. Fjarde AP Fonden Fourth Swedish National Pension Fund's holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services were worth $3,381,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. DAVENPORT & Co LLC raised its holdings in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 103.8% in the first quarter. DAVENPORT & Co LLC now owns 2,230 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $499,000 after acquiring an additional 1,136 shares during the last quarter. Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. grew its position in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 34.7% in the first quarter. Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. now owns 5,581 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $1,249,000 after purchasing an additional 1,437 shares during the period. Bessemer Group Inc. grew its position in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 43.7% in the first quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. now owns 1,075 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $241,000 after purchasing an additional 327 shares during the period. Sivik Global Healthcare LLC purchased a new stake in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in the first quarter valued at $2,799,000. Finally, State of Alaska Department of Revenue grew its position in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 2.7% in the first quarter. State of Alaska Department of Revenue now owns 8,486 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $1,899,000 after purchasing an additional 225 shares during the period. 93.90% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

West Pharmaceutical Services Price Performance

WST stock opened at $246.16 on Friday. 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 price of $230.05 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $228.59. The company has a current ratio of 2.78, a quick ratio of 2.08 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.07. The company has a market cap of $17.70 billion, a PE ratio of 36.85, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.36 and a beta of 1.05.

West Pharmaceutical Services (NYSE:WST - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, July 24th. The medical instruments supplier reported $1.84 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.51 by $0.33. West Pharmaceutical Services had a return on equity of 18.43% and a net margin of 16.48%. The company had revenue of $766.50 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $725.11 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $1.52 earnings per share. The company's revenue was up 9.2% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, research analysts predict that West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. will post 6.62 EPS for the current year.

West Pharmaceutical Services Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, November 19th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, November 12th will be given a $0.22 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, November 12th. This is a positive change from West Pharmaceutical Services's previous quarterly dividend of $0.21. This represents a $0.88 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.4%. West Pharmaceutical Services's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 12.57%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts have recently commented on WST shares. Stephens raised West Pharmaceutical Services to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Monday, April 21st. Citigroup reaffirmed a "buy" rating on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in a research report on Thursday, May 22nd. Evercore ISI lifted their price objective on West Pharmaceutical Services from $275.00 to $350.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Friday, July 25th. Barclays started coverage on West Pharmaceutical Services in a research report on Tuesday, June 24th. They issued an "equal weight" rating and a $245.00 price objective for the company. Finally, Wall Street Zen raised West Pharmaceutical Services from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Saturday, July 26th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $320.71.

West Pharmaceutical Services 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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