USS Investment Management Ltd Sells 4,527 Shares of West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST)

USS Investment Management Ltd cut its position in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST - Free Report) by 21.3% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 16,764 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock after selling 4,527 shares during the quarter. USS Investment Management Ltd's holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services were worth $5,493,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Whipplewood Advisors LLC bought a new position in West Pharmaceutical Services during the 4th quarter worth approximately $25,000. Centricity Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in West Pharmaceutical Services during the 4th quarter worth approximately $35,000. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC grew its position in West Pharmaceutical Services by 57.1% during the 4th quarter. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC now owns 110 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $38,000 after acquiring an additional 40 shares during the last quarter. IFP Advisors Inc grew its position in West Pharmaceutical Services by 150.9% during the 4th quarter. IFP Advisors Inc now owns 133 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $45,000 after acquiring an additional 80 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Private Trust Co. NA grew its position in West Pharmaceutical Services by 138.6% during the 4th quarter. Private Trust Co. NA now owns 136 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $45,000 after acquiring an additional 79 shares during the last quarter. 93.90% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

West Pharmaceutical Services Stock Up 0.2%

NYSE:WST traded up $0.37 during trading hours on Wednesday, reaching $211.39. 93,998 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 724,406. The business's 50-day moving average price is $212.29 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $269.48. The stock has a market capitalization of $15.19 billion, a P/E ratio of 31.62, a P/E/G ratio of 6.74 and a beta of 1.14. West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. has a 1 year low of $187.43 and a 1 year high of $352.33. 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 (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 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 return on equity of 18.60% and a net margin of 17.03%. The firm's quarterly revenue was up .4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $1.56 earnings per share. Analysts predict that West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. will post 6.62 earnings per share for the current year.

West Pharmaceutical Services Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, August 6th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, July 30th will be paid a $0.21 dividend. 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 is currently 13.19%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms recently issued reports on WST. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upgraded West Pharmaceutical Services from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $250.00 price target on the stock in a research report on Friday, February 14th. Citigroup reiterated a "buy" rating on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in a research report on Thursday, May 22nd. Wall Street Zen lowered West Pharmaceutical Services from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Thursday, February 27th. Stephens upgraded West Pharmaceutical Services to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Monday, April 21st. Finally, KeyCorp cut their price objective on West Pharmaceutical Services from $470.00 to $325.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, February 14th. 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 stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, West Pharmaceutical Services presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $332.50.

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.