Moore Capital Management LP Cuts Stock Position in West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST)

Moore Capital Management LP reduced its stake in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST - Free Report) by 3.1% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 63,000 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock after selling 2,000 shares during the quarter. Moore Capital Management LP owned about 0.09% of West Pharmaceutical Services worth $20,636,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in West Pharmaceutical Services during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $290,604,000. Van ECK Associates Corp lifted its position in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 5,074.0% during the fourth quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 689,493 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $225,851,000 after buying an additional 676,167 shares during the last quarter. William Blair Investment Management LLC grew its holdings in 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 grew its stake 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 buying an additional 494,828 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Seilern Investment Management Ltd purchased a new position in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $145,379,000. 93.90% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

West Pharmaceutical Services Stock Down 0.6%

WST stock opened at $213.39 on Monday. The firm's fifty day moving average is $216.55 and its 200 day moving average is $277.99. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.08, a quick ratio of 2.23 and a current ratio of 2.79. West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. has a one year low of $187.43 and a one year high of $367.71. The firm has a market cap of $15.33 billion, a PE ratio of 31.90, a P/E/G ratio of 6.74 and a beta of 1.14.

West Pharmaceutical Services (NYSE:WST - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 24th. The medical instruments supplier reported $1.45 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.22 by $0.23. The company had revenue of $698.00 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $685.24 million. West Pharmaceutical Services had a return on equity of 18.60% and a net margin of 17.03%. West Pharmaceutical Services's quarterly revenue was up .4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $1.56 EPS. On average, research analysts forecast that West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. will post 6.62 EPS for the current year.

West Pharmaceutical Services Announces Dividend

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

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts have commented on WST shares. KeyCorp lowered their price target on 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. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upgraded West Pharmaceutical Services from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $250.00 target price on the stock in a research report on Friday, February 14th. Stephens raised shares of West Pharmaceutical Services to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Monday, April 21st. StockNews.com downgraded shares of West Pharmaceutical Services from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Thursday, February 27th. Finally, Evercore ISI started coverage on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in a report on Tuesday, March 18th. They set an "outperform" rating and a $275.00 target price for the company. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, six have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price 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.

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest and most accurate reporting. This story was reviewed by MarketBeat's editorial team prior to publication. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.