TCG Advisory Services LLC Takes Position in West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST)

TCG Advisory Services LLC bought a new position in West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST - Free Report) during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor bought 2,225 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock, valued at approximately $783,000.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Planned Solutions Inc. purchased a new position in West Pharmaceutical Services in the 4th quarter worth approximately $39,000. Addison Advisors LLC raised its stake in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 37.9% in the third quarter. Addison Advisors LLC now owns 142 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $53,000 after purchasing an additional 39 shares during the last quarter. Livforsakringsbolaget Skandia Omsesidigt lifted its holdings in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 90.0% during the fourth quarter. Livforsakringsbolaget Skandia Omsesidigt now owns 190 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $67,000 after purchasing an additional 90 shares in the last quarter. MEAG MUNICH ERGO Kapitalanlagegesellschaft mbH purchased a new stake in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services during the third quarter valued at $71,000. Finally, Lindbrook Capital LLC increased its holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services by 46.0% in the 4th quarter. Lindbrook Capital LLC now owns 235 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $83,000 after buying an additional 74 shares in the last quarter. 93.90% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Jefferies Financial Group upgraded shares of West Pharmaceutical Services from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and raised their target price for the stock from $323.00 to $536.00 in a report on Wednesday, February 7th. KeyCorp upped their price objective on West Pharmaceutical Services from $440.00 to $470.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 13th. StockNews.com downgraded West Pharmaceutical Services from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Friday, February 16th. Finally, UBS Group cut their price target on West Pharmaceutical Services from $400.00 to $375.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, February 16th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, West Pharmaceutical Services presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $435.20.

Insider Activity

In other news, CEO Eric Mark Green sold 64,132 shares of West Pharmaceutical Services stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $359.85, for a total value of $23,077,900.20. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 152,908 shares of the company's stock, valued at $55,023,943.80. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. In other news, CEO Eric Mark Green sold 64,132 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $359.85, for a total transaction of $23,077,900.20. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 152,908 shares in the company, valued at approximately $55,023,943.80. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, CAO Chad Winters sold 815 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Monday, March 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $358.82, for a total transaction of $292,438.30. Following the sale, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 1,309 shares in the company, valued at approximately $469,695.38. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 73,978 shares of company stock worth $26,653,772 over the last quarter. Insiders own 0.53% of the company's stock.

West Pharmaceutical Services Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:WST traded down $3.44 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $365.02. The company had a trading volume of 451,107 shares, compared to its average volume of 447,014. West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. has a 12-month low of $310.42 and a 12-month high of $415.73. The company has a fifty day moving average of $377.90 and a two-hundred day moving average of $363.26. The company has a market cap of $26.59 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 48.16, a PEG ratio of 6.49 and a beta of 1.05. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.03, a current ratio of 2.61 and a quick ratio of 1.95.

West Pharmaceutical Services (NYSE:WST - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 25th. The medical instruments supplier reported $1.56 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.29 by $0.27. West Pharmaceutical Services had a return on equity of 20.57% and a net margin of 19.42%. The business had revenue of $695.40 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $670.62 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $1.98 earnings per share. West Pharmaceutical Services's revenue for the quarter was down 3.0% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities research analysts expect that West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. will post 7.78 EPS for the current fiscal year.

West Pharmaceutical Services Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, August 7th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, July 31st will be issued a dividend of $0.20 per share. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, July 31st. This represents a $0.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.22%. West Pharmaceutical Services's dividend payout ratio is presently 10.55%.

West Pharmaceutical Services Company 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.