West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST) Stock Holdings Reduced by MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd.

MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. lowered its position in West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST - Free Report) by 47.7% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 9,605 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock after selling 8,773 shares during the quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd.'s holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services were worth $3,146,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of WST. Whipplewood Advisors LLC purchased a new position in West Pharmaceutical Services in the fourth quarter valued at about $25,000. Centricity Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services during the 4th quarter valued at about $35,000. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC raised its stake in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 57.1% in the 4th quarter. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC now owns 110 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $38,000 after acquiring an additional 40 shares in the last quarter. Private Trust Co. NA lifted its holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services by 138.6% in the 4th quarter. Private Trust Co. NA now owns 136 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $45,000 after purchasing an additional 79 shares during the last quarter. Finally, IFP Advisors Inc lifted its holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services by 150.9% in the 4th quarter. IFP Advisors Inc now owns 133 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $45,000 after purchasing an additional 80 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 93.90% of the company's stock.

West Pharmaceutical Services Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:WST opened at $217.00 on Tuesday. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $214.75 and a 200 day moving average price of $273.88. West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. has a twelve month low of $187.43 and a twelve month high of $355.66. The company has a market cap of $15.59 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 32.44, a PEG ratio of 6.74 and a beta of 1.14. The company has a quick ratio of 2.23, a current ratio of 2.79 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.08.

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. West Pharmaceutical Services had a return on equity of 18.60% and a net margin of 17.03%. The firm had revenue of $698.00 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $685.24 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $1.56 EPS. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up .4% compared to the same quarter last year. Research analysts predict that West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. will post 6.62 earnings per share for the current year.

West Pharmaceutical Services Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, August 6th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, July 30th will be issued a $0.21 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, July 30th. This represents a $0.84 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.39%. West Pharmaceutical Services's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 13.19%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts recently weighed in on the company. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upgraded West Pharmaceutical Services from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $250.00 target price for the company in a report on Friday, February 14th. Stephens upgraded West Pharmaceutical Services to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Monday, April 21st. Evercore ISI assumed 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. StockNews.com lowered West Pharmaceutical Services from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Thursday, February 27th. Finally, KeyCorp reduced their target price on West Pharmaceutical Services from $470.00 to $325.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Friday, February 14th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, six have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus 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.

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