West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST - Get Free Report) shares reached a new 52-week low during mid-day trading on Wednesday . The company traded as low as $207.90 and last traded at $211.11, with a volume of 1611239 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $213.25.
Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth
WST has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upgraded West Pharmaceutical Services from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $250.00 price target on the stock in a report on Friday, February 14th. KeyCorp lowered their target price on West Pharmaceutical Services from $470.00 to $325.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, February 14th. Citigroup began coverage on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in a research report on Wednesday, January 8th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $400.00 price target for the company. StockNews.com downgraded shares of West Pharmaceutical Services from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Thursday, February 27th. Finally, Stephens upgraded shares of West Pharmaceutical Services to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Monday, April 21st. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, six have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $332.50.
Check Out Our Latest Stock Analysis on West Pharmaceutical Services
West Pharmaceutical Services Stock Down 1.5 %
The stock has a market cap of $14.92 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 31.06, a P/E/G ratio of 6.74 and a beta of 1.14. The business has a fifty day moving average of $217.81 and a 200 day moving average of $280.40. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.08, a current ratio of 2.79 and a quick ratio of 2.23.
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 the consensus estimate of $1.22 by $0.23. The company 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%. West Pharmaceutical Services's quarterly revenue was up .4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $1.56 EPS. On average, equities analysts predict that West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. will post 6.62 earnings per share 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. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, July 30th will be issued a dividend of $0.21 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend 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 currently 13.19%.
Institutional Trading of West Pharmaceutical Services
Several large investors have recently made changes to their positions in WST. Whipplewood Advisors LLC acquired a new position in West Pharmaceutical Services during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Retirement Wealth Solutions LLC bought a new position in West Pharmaceutical Services in the 4th quarter worth $34,000. Centricity Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in West Pharmaceutical Services in the 4th quarter worth $35,000. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC lifted its position in West Pharmaceutical Services by 57.1% during the 4th quarter. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC now owns 110 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $38,000 after acquiring an additional 40 shares during the last quarter. Finally, First Horizon Advisors Inc. grew its position in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 85.0% in the first quarter. First Horizon Advisors Inc. now owns 185 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $41,000 after purchasing an additional 85 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 93.90% of the company's stock.
About West Pharmaceutical Services
(
Get Free Report)
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.
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