West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST) Shares Acquired by IFM Investors Pty Ltd

IFM Investors Pty Ltd grew its stake in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST - Free Report) by 10.8% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 14,523 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock after acquiring an additional 1,414 shares during the period. IFM Investors Pty Ltd's holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services were worth $3,251,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. First Horizon Advisors Inc. lifted its position in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 85.0% during the 1st quarter. First Horizon Advisors Inc. now owns 185 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $41,000 after acquiring an additional 85 shares during the period. Opal Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services during the 1st quarter valued at approximately $53,000. Whipplewood Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 248.0% during the 1st quarter. Whipplewood Advisors LLC now owns 261 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $58,000 after acquiring an additional 186 shares during the period. Edmond DE Rothschild Holding S.A. acquired a new position in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services during the 4th quarter worth approximately $74,000. Finally, Exchange Traded Concepts LLC raised its position in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 38.5% during the 1st quarter. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC now owns 331 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $74,000 after purchasing an additional 92 shares during the last quarter. 93.90% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

West Pharmaceutical Services Trading Down 1.0%

Shares of NYSE WST traded down $2.30 during trading on Friday, hitting $226.93. 465,375 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 737,107. West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. has a 1 year low of $187.43 and a 1 year high of $352.33. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $217.07 and a 200-day moving average price of $246.19. The firm has a market capitalization of $16.30 billion, a P/E ratio of 35.62, a P/E/G ratio of 5.64 and a beta of 1.09. The company has a quick ratio of 2.03, a current ratio of 2.77 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.08.

West Pharmaceutical Services (NYSE:WST - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 24th. The medical instruments supplier reported $1.45 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.22 by $0.23. West Pharmaceutical Services had a net margin of 16.13% and a return on equity of 18.23%. The company had revenue of $698.00 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $685.24 million. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $1.56 EPS. The business's quarterly revenue was up .4% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities analysts predict that West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. will post 6.62 EPS for the current year.

West Pharmaceutical Services Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, August 6th. Investors 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 0.37%. West Pharmaceutical Services's payout ratio is 13.19%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages recently issued reports on WST. Citigroup restated a "buy" rating on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in a research report on Thursday, May 22nd. Stephens raised shares of West Pharmaceutical Services to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Monday, April 21st. Barclays assumed coverage on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in a research note on Tuesday, June 24th. They issued an "equal weight" rating and a $245.00 target price for the company. Finally, Evercore ISI assumed coverage on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in a research note on Tuesday, March 18th. They issued an "outperform" rating and a $275.00 target price for the company. Three 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 stock. According to data from MarketBeat, West Pharmaceutical Services presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $320.00.

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.