Polar Asset Management Partners Inc. Purchases 7,500 Shares of West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST)

Polar Asset Management Partners Inc. boosted its position in West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST - Free Report) by 41.2% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 25,700 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock after buying an additional 7,500 shares during the quarter. Polar Asset Management Partners Inc.'s holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services were worth $8,418,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Whipplewood Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in West Pharmaceutical Services in the 4th quarter worth about $25,000. Centricity Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in West Pharmaceutical Services during the fourth quarter worth about $35,000. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC increased its stake in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 57.1% in the fourth quarter. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC now owns 110 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $38,000 after purchasing an additional 40 shares in the last quarter. IFP Advisors Inc raised its position in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 150.9% in the fourth 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 during the period. Finally, Private Trust Co. NA raised its position in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 138.6% in the fourth 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 during the period. 93.90% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts recently weighed in on WST shares. KeyCorp reduced their price objective on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services from $470.00 to $325.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, February 14th. Stephens upgraded West Pharmaceutical Services to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Monday, April 21st. Citigroup restated a "buy" rating on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in a research note on Thursday, May 22nd. Evercore ISI assumed coverage on West Pharmaceutical Services in a research report on Tuesday, March 18th. They issued an "outperform" rating and a $275.00 price objective on the stock. Finally, Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of West Pharmaceutical Services from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Thursday, February 27th. 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's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, West Pharmaceutical Services currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $332.50.

West Pharmaceutical Services Stock Down 0.6%

WST traded down $1.26 during trading on Thursday, hitting $210.13. 582,563 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 725,893. The stock has a market capitalization of $15.10 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 31.41, a PEG ratio of 6.74 and a beta of 1.14. 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 12-month low of $187.43 and a 12-month high of $352.33. The company's 50 day simple moving average is $211.94 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $269.08.

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 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate 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 company had revenue of $698.00 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $685.24 million. During the same period last year, the company earned $1.56 EPS. West Pharmaceutical Services's revenue for the quarter was up .4% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts predict 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 announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, August 6th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, July 30th will be given a $0.21 dividend. This represents a $0.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.40%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, July 30th. West Pharmaceutical Services's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 13.19%.

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.