West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST) Stake Boosted by Kayne Anderson Rudnick Investment Management LLC

Kayne Anderson Rudnick Investment Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST - Free Report) by 3.6% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 632,307 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock after acquiring an additional 21,806 shares during the quarter. Kayne Anderson Rudnick Investment Management LLC owned about 0.87% of West Pharmaceutical Services worth $207,119,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Fiera Capital Corp grew its position in West Pharmaceutical Services by 13.2% in the fourth quarter. Fiera Capital Corp now owns 140,893 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $46,151,000 after acquiring an additional 16,418 shares in the last quarter. Trust Point Inc. raised its stake in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 321.0% in the fourth quarter. Trust Point Inc. now owns 3,183 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $1,043,000 after acquiring an additional 2,427 shares during the period. Savant Capital LLC lifted its holdings in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 15.0% in the 4th quarter. Savant Capital LLC now owns 1,003 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $329,000 after acquiring an additional 131 shares during the last quarter. Tokio Marine Asset Management Co. Ltd. increased its holdings in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 904.2% in the 4th quarter. Tokio Marine Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 21,941 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $7,187,000 after acquiring an additional 19,756 shares during the period. Finally, National Wealth Management Group LLC purchased a new stake in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services during the 4th quarter worth $706,000. 93.90% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

West Pharmaceutical Services Trading Down 0.4%

Shares of WST stock traded down $0.92 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $209.54. 234,506 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 725,042. The stock has a market cap of $15.05 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 31.38, a PEG ratio of 6.74 and a beta of 1.14. West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $187.43 and a fifty-two week high of $352.33. The company has a quick ratio of 2.23, a current ratio of 2.79 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.08. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $211.50 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $268.27.

West Pharmaceutical Services (NYSE:WST - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, April 24th. The medical instruments supplier reported $1.45 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.22 by $0.23. The business had revenue of $698.00 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate 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 quarterly revenue 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 analysts expect that West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. will post 6.62 EPS for the current fiscal year.

West Pharmaceutical Services Dividend Announcement

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 given a dividend of $0.21 per share. This represents a $0.84 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.40%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, July 30th. West Pharmaceutical Services's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 13.19%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Wall Street Zen cut shares of West Pharmaceutical Services from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Thursday, February 27th. KeyCorp decreased their price target on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services from $470.00 to $325.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, February 14th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised shares of West Pharmaceutical Services from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $250.00 target price on the stock in a research note on Friday, February 14th. Citigroup reaffirmed a "buy" rating on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in a report on Thursday, May 22nd. Finally, Evercore ISI started coverage on West Pharmaceutical Services in a report on Tuesday, March 18th. They issued an "outperform" rating and a $275.00 target price for the company. Two equities research 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. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $332.50.

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.