William Allan Corp Acquires 3,340 Shares of West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST)

William Allan Corp lifted its position in West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST - Free Report) by 45.2% during the first quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 10,723 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock after acquiring an additional 3,340 shares during the period. West Pharmaceutical Services makes up approximately 1.5% of William Allan Corp's holdings, making the stock its 28th biggest holding. William Allan Corp's holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services were worth $2,401,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Teachers Retirement System of The State of Kentucky grew its holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services by 2.8% during the first quarter. Teachers Retirement System of The State of Kentucky now owns 5,599 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $1,253,000 after purchasing an additional 153 shares during the period. Forum Financial Management LP acquired a new position in West Pharmaceutical Services during the first quarter valued at approximately $269,000. Verdence Capital Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 36.0% during the 1st quarter. Verdence Capital Advisors LLC now owns 3,010 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $674,000 after purchasing an additional 796 shares in the last quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC increased its stake in West Pharmaceutical Services by 3,428.6% during the 1st quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 2,223 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $498,000 after purchasing an additional 2,160 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Whittier Trust Co. of Nevada Inc. increased its stake in West Pharmaceutical Services by 4.0% during the 1st quarter. Whittier Trust Co. of Nevada Inc. now owns 23,127 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $5,178,000 after purchasing an additional 881 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 93.90% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

WST has been the subject of a number of research reports. Barclays initiated coverage on West Pharmaceutical Services in a research note on Tuesday, June 24th. They set an "equal weight" rating and a $245.00 target price for the company. Citigroup reaffirmed a "buy" rating on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in a research note on Thursday, May 22nd. Finally, Stephens raised shares of West Pharmaceutical Services to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Monday, April 21st. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, six have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, West Pharmaceutical Services presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $320.00.

West Pharmaceutical Services Stock Up 21.0%

Shares of West Pharmaceutical Services stock traded up $47.63 on Thursday, reaching $274.94. 1,483,804 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 860,634. West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. has a one year low of $187.43 and a one year high of $352.33. The company has a market capitalization of $19.75 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 43.16, a PEG ratio of 5.29 and a beta of 1.09. The company has a current ratio of 2.77, a quick ratio of 2.03 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.08. The company has a 50-day moving average of $217.86 and a 200 day moving average of $240.15.

West Pharmaceutical Services (NYSE:WST - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 24th. The medical instruments supplier reported $1.84 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.51 by $0.33. West Pharmaceutical Services had a return on equity of 18.23% and a net margin of 16.13%. The company had revenue of $766.50 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $725.11 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $1.52 EPS. The business's revenue was up 9.2% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, 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 business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, November 19th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, November 12th will be paid a dividend of $0.22 per share. This represents a $0.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.32%. This is a boost from West Pharmaceutical Services's previous quarterly dividend of $0.21. West Pharmaceutical Services's dividend payout ratio is currently 13.19%.

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.