Blair William & Co. IL Reduces Holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST)

Key Points

• Blair William & Co. IL reduced its holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services by 20.5%, owning 82,585 shares valued at approximately $18.49 million as of the most recent SEC filing.
• West Pharmaceutical Services has recently upgraded its quarterly dividend from $0.21 to $0.22, with a payout ratio of 12.57% and a yield of 0.4% based on the annualized figure.
• Analysts have a strong positive outlook on West Pharmaceutical Services, with an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $320.71, following multiple upgrades from various firms.

Blair William & Co. IL cut its holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST - Free Report) by 20.5% during the first quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 82,585 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock after selling 21,281 shares during the period. Blair William & Co. IL owned 0.11% of West Pharmaceutical Services worth $18,489,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in WST. First Horizon Advisors Inc. lifted its holdings in 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 worth $41,000 after buying an additional 85 shares in the last quarter. Opal Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in the first quarter valued at $53,000. Whipplewood Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services by 248.0% in the first quarter. Whipplewood Advisors LLC now owns 261 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $58,000 after purchasing an additional 186 shares during the period. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC grew its stake in 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 in the last quarter. Finally, Allworth Financial LP raised its position in West Pharmaceutical Services by 229.7% in the 1st quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 455 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $96,000 after purchasing an additional 317 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 93.90% of the company's stock.

West Pharmaceutical Services Stock Performance

NYSE WST traded down $1.66 during trading hours on Wednesday, hitting $237.20. 534,606 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 885,989. The company has a quick ratio of 2.08, a current ratio of 2.78 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.07. The company has a market cap of $17.06 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 35.51, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.23 and a beta of 1.05. 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 of $225.42 and a 200 day moving average of $234.20.

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

West Pharmaceutical Services Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, November 19th. Investors of record on Wednesday, November 12th will be issued a dividend of $0.22 per share. This is a boost from West Pharmaceutical Services's previous quarterly dividend of $0.21. This represents a $0.88 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.4%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, November 12th. West Pharmaceutical Services's payout ratio is presently 12.57%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts recently weighed in on WST shares. UBS Group raised their target price on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services from $285.00 to $320.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, July 25th. Evercore ISI increased their target price on West Pharmaceutical Services from $275.00 to $350.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Friday, July 25th. Stephens raised West Pharmaceutical Services to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Monday, April 21st. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of West Pharmaceutical Services from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Saturday, July 26th. Finally, Barclays began coverage on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in a report on Tuesday, June 24th. They issued an "equal weight" rating and a $245.00 target price for the company. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target 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.