Hsbc Holdings PLC Sells 3,729 Shares of West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST)

Hsbc Holdings PLC cut its position in West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST - Free Report) by 2.6% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 140,776 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock after selling 3,729 shares during the quarter. Hsbc Holdings PLC owned 0.19% of West Pharmaceutical Services worth $46,114,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in West Pharmaceutical Services during the 4th quarter worth approximately $290,604,000. Van ECK Associates Corp grew its stake in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 5,074.0% in the fourth quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 689,493 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $225,851,000 after purchasing an additional 676,167 shares during the last quarter. William Blair Investment Management LLC grew its stake in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 731.8% in the fourth quarter. William Blair Investment Management LLC now owns 640,735 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $209,879,000 after purchasing an additional 563,705 shares during the last quarter. FMR LLC raised its position in West Pharmaceutical Services by 83.1% during the 4th quarter. FMR LLC now owns 1,090,603 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $357,238,000 after purchasing an additional 494,828 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Seilern Investment Management Ltd acquired a new position in West Pharmaceutical Services during the 4th quarter worth about $145,379,000. 93.90% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

West Pharmaceutical Services Stock Down 1.5 %

Shares of NYSE:WST traded down $3.28 during trading on Wednesday, reaching $209.97. 178,271 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 718,244. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $218.37 and a two-hundred day moving average of $282.71. West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. has a 1-year low of $187.43 and a 1-year high of $372.79. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.08, a current ratio of 2.79 and a quick ratio of 2.23. The firm has a market cap of $15.09 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 31.31, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 6.74 and a beta of 1.22.

West Pharmaceutical Services (NYSE:WST - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 24th. The medical instruments supplier reported $1.45 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.22 by $0.23. The firm had revenue of $698.00 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $685.24 million. West Pharmaceutical Services had a net margin of 17.03% and a return on equity of 18.60%. The business's quarterly revenue was up .4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm earned $1.56 earnings per share. Research analysts anticipate that West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. will post 6.62 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

West Pharmaceutical Services Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, August 6th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, July 30th will be issued a dividend of $0.21 per share. This represents a $0.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a 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

A number of equities analysts have recently issued reports on WST shares. Citigroup began coverage on West Pharmaceutical Services in a research report on Wednesday, January 8th. They set a "buy" rating and a $400.00 price objective for the company. Evercore ISI initiated coverage on West Pharmaceutical Services in a research note on Tuesday, March 18th. They set an "outperform" rating and a $275.00 target price for the company. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised West Pharmaceutical Services from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $250.00 price target on the stock in a research note on Friday, February 14th. Stephens raised shares of West Pharmaceutical Services to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Monday, April 21st. Finally, KeyCorp dropped their target price on shares of 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 equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, six have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, West Pharmaceutical Services currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $332.50.

About West Pharmaceutical Services

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.