West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. $WST Shares Newly Bought by Aware Super Pty Ltd as trustee of Aware Super

Key Points

• Aware Super acquired 61,501 West Pharmaceutical Services shares in the third quarter, valued at about $22.8 million, representing roughly 0.09% of the company.
• West beat quarterly estimates, reporting EPS of $2.66 versus $2.20 expected and revenue of $874.5 million, up 8.7% year over year. The company also raised its quarterly dividend from $0.22 to $0.26 per share.
• Analysts give the stock a “Moderate Buy” consensus rating, with an average price target of $424.67; 13 analysts rate it Buy and one rates it Hold.

Aware Super Pty Ltd as trustee of Aware Super bought a new stake in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST - Free Report) during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor bought 61,501 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock, valued at approximately $22,802,000. Aware Super Pty Ltd as trustee of Aware Super owned approximately 0.09% of West Pharmaceutical Services at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Bank Julius Baer & Co. Ltd Zurich raised its position in West Pharmaceutical Services by 39.8% in the 3rd quarter. Bank Julius Baer & Co. Ltd Zurich now owns 10,169 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $3,791,000 after purchasing an additional 2,893 shares during the period. Virtue Capital Management LLC boosted its position in West Pharmaceutical Services by 30.5% during the 3rd quarter. Virtue Capital Management LLC now owns 1,009 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $374,000 after acquiring an additional 236 shares in the last quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. bought a new stake in West Pharmaceutical Services during the third quarter valued at about $8,999,000. Vise Technologies Inc. raised its stake in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 58.9% during the 3rd quarter. Vise Technologies Inc. now owns 2,210 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $819,000 after acquiring an additional 819 shares in the last quarter. Finally, MGO One Seven LLC lifted its holdings in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 7.3% during the 3rd quarter. MGO One Seven LLC now owns 1,872 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $694,000 after purchasing an additional 127 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 93.90% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms have weighed in on WST. Barclays boosted their target price on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services from $440.00 to $500.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Friday, October 30th. Zacks Research cut shares of West Pharmaceutical Services from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 12th. Wall Street Zen raised West Pharmaceutical Services from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Sunday. Evercore reaffirmed an "outperform" rating and set a $425.00 price objective on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in a report on Monday, July 27th. Finally, UBS Group lifted their price target on West Pharmaceutical Services from $340.00 to $415.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, September 9th. Thirteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has given a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, West Pharmaceutical Services currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $424.67.

West Pharmaceutical Services Stock Up 0.0%

Shares of NYSE:WST opened at $408.06 on Wednesday. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $369.96 and a 200 day moving average price of $314.55. The company has a market capitalization of $28.43 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 45.80, a PEG ratio of 2.48 and a beta of 1.13. West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. has a 12-month low of $223.83 and a 12-month high of $438.27. The company has a current ratio of 2.82, a quick ratio of 2.10 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.07.

West Pharmaceutical Services (NYSE:WST - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 29th. The medical instruments supplier reported $2.66 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $2.20 by $0.46. West Pharmaceutical Services had a net margin of 18.81% and a return on equity of 21.78%. The firm had revenue of $874.50 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $827.12 million. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $1.96 EPS. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 8.7% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts expect that West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. will post 9.46 EPS for the current year.

West Pharmaceutical Services Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, November 18th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, November 11th will be given a $0.26 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, November 10th. This represents a $1.04 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.3%. This is a boost from West Pharmaceutical Services's previous quarterly dividend of $0.22. West Pharmaceutical Services's dividend payout ratio is 9.88%.

Insider Transactions at West Pharmaceutical Services

In related news, VP Annette Favorite sold 8,135 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, September 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $340.81, for a total transaction of $2,772,489.35. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president directly owned 16,845 shares of the company's stock, valued at $5,740,944.45. The trade was a 32.57% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Insiders sold 15,659 shares of company stock valued at $5,443,749 in the last ninety days. Company insiders own 0.60% of the company's stock.

About West Pharmaceutical Services

West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc develops and manufactures components and delivery systems used in the administration and packaging of injectable medicines and other healthcare products. Its offerings include elastomer closures, seals, syringe components, drug-delivery systems, and other specialized packaging components designed to support the safety, quality, and performance of pharmaceutical products.

The company also provides contract-manufacturing services for pharmaceutical, biotechnology, and medical-device customers.

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