West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST) to Issue Dividend Increase - $0.22 Per Share

West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST - Get Free Report) declared a quarterly dividend on Thursday, July 24th, RTT News reports. Investors of record on Wednesday, November 12th will be given a dividend of 0.22 per share by the medical instruments supplier on Wednesday, November 19th. This represents a $0.88 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.33%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, November 12th. This is a 4.8% increase from West Pharmaceutical Services's previous quarterly dividend of $0.21.

West Pharmaceutical Services has a payout ratio of 11.8% indicating that its dividend is sufficiently covered by earnings. Equities analysts expect West Pharmaceutical Services to earn $7.86 per share next year, which means the company should continue to be able to cover its $0.84 annual dividend with an expected future payout ratio of 10.7%.

West Pharmaceutical Services Stock Performance

WST stock traded down $15.78 on Friday, reaching $263.32. 1,493,189 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 777,491. The firm has a market capitalization of $18.92 billion, a PE ratio of 39.42, a PEG ratio of 5.93 and a beta of 1.09. West Pharmaceutical Services has a 12 month low of $187.43 and a 12 month high of $352.33. The stock's fifty day moving average price is $220.56 and its 200 day moving average price is $238.54. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.08, a current ratio of 2.77 and a quick ratio of 2.03.

West Pharmaceutical Services (NYSE:WST - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 24th. The medical instruments supplier reported $1.84 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.51 by $0.33. The firm had revenue of $766.50 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $725.11 million. West Pharmaceutical Services had a return on equity of 18.81% and a net margin of 16.48%. The company's quarterly revenue was up 9.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $1.52 earnings per share. On average, research analysts anticipate that West Pharmaceutical Services will post 6.62 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts recently commented on WST shares. Citigroup restated a "buy" rating on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in a research report on Thursday, May 22nd. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of West Pharmaceutical Services from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Saturday. Barclays initiated coverage on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in a research note on Tuesday, June 24th. They set an "equal weight" rating and a $245.00 price objective on the stock. Stephens raised West Pharmaceutical Services to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Monday, April 21st. Finally, UBS Group raised their price target on West Pharmaceutical Services from $285.00 to $320.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Friday. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $320.71.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On West Pharmaceutical Services

A number of institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Acadian Asset Management LLC lifted its position in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 14.1% during the 1st quarter. Acadian Asset Management LLC now owns 1,271 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $284,000 after buying an additional 157 shares during the last quarter. Empowered Funds LLC boosted its stake in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 16.1% in the 1st quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 1,611 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $361,000 after purchasing an additional 224 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Intech Investment Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 27.7% during the 1st quarter. Intech Investment Management LLC now owns 6,020 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $1,348,000 after purchasing an additional 1,307 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 93.90% of the company's stock.

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.