MML Investors Services LLC Buys 1,725 Shares of West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST)

MML Investors Services LLC lifted its holdings in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST - Free Report) by 9.3% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 20,242 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock after purchasing an additional 1,725 shares during the quarter. MML Investors Services LLC's holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services were worth $6,630,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Virtu Financial LLC acquired a new position in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services during the third quarter valued at $1,536,000. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB acquired a new position in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $2,794,000. Tidal Investments LLC lifted its stake in West Pharmaceutical Services by 2.3% during the third quarter. Tidal Investments LLC now owns 9,161 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $2,750,000 after purchasing an additional 208 shares during the last quarter. Lord Abbett & CO. LLC boosted its holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services by 0.6% during the third quarter. Lord Abbett & CO. LLC now owns 100,291 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $30,103,000 after buying an additional 615 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Principal Financial Group Inc. increased its position in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 2.3% in the third quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 91,756 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $27,541,000 after acquiring an additional 2,037 shares in the last quarter. 93.90% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

West Pharmaceutical Services Stock Down 1.4 %

WST stock traded down $3.08 during midday trading on Wednesday, hitting $210.17. The company's stock had a trading volume of 151,711 shares, compared to its average volume of 718,121. The company has a market cap of $15.10 billion, a PE ratio of 31.34, a P/E/G ratio of 6.74 and a beta of 1.22. The firm's 50-day moving average is $218.37 and its 200-day moving average is $282.71. West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. has a 12 month low of $187.43 and a 12 month high of $372.79. The company has a current ratio of 2.79, a quick ratio of 2.23 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.08.

West Pharmaceutical Services (NYSE:WST - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 24th. The medical instruments supplier reported $1.45 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.22 by $0.23. The firm had revenue of $698.00 million during 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 revenue for the quarter was up .4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $1.56 earnings per share. On average, equities research analysts forecast that West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. will post 6.62 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

West Pharmaceutical Services Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, August 6th. Investors of record on Wednesday, July 30th will be given a dividend of $0.21 per share. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, July 30th. This represents a $0.84 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.40%. West Pharmaceutical Services's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 13.19%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts have issued reports on WST shares. StockNews.com cut shares of West Pharmaceutical Services from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Thursday, February 27th. Citigroup assumed coverage on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in a research note on Wednesday, January 8th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $400.00 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 for the company in a research report on Friday, February 14th. Stephens raised West Pharmaceutical Services to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Monday, April 21st. Finally, KeyCorp reduced their price target on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services from $470.00 to $325.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company 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 issued a strong buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, West Pharmaceutical Services has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price 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.