Raymond James Financial Inc. Takes Position in West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST)

Raymond James Financial Inc. purchased a new position in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST - Free Report) during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor purchased 221,783 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock, valued at approximately $72,646,000. Raymond James Financial Inc. owned approximately 0.31% of West Pharmaceutical Services as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Arizona State Retirement System lifted its position in West Pharmaceutical Services by 1.0% during the 4th quarter. Arizona State Retirement System now owns 21,071 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $6,902,000 after purchasing an additional 201 shares during the period. Proficio Capital Partners LLC acquired a new position in West Pharmaceutical Services during the 4th quarter valued at about $25,436,000. Assetmark Inc. lifted its position in West Pharmaceutical Services by 22.9% during the 4th quarter. Assetmark Inc. now owns 8,030 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $2,630,000 after purchasing an additional 1,497 shares during the period. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. lifted its position in West Pharmaceutical Services by 4.4% during the 4th quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 468,120 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $153,337,000 after purchasing an additional 19,936 shares during the period. Finally, Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC lifted its position in West Pharmaceutical Services by 41.0% during the 4th quarter. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC now owns 571 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $187,000 after purchasing an additional 166 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 93.90% of the company's stock.

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Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

WST has been the topic of a number of research reports. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upgraded shares of 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. UBS Group raised West Pharmaceutical Services from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and upped their price target for the company from $350.00 to $390.00 in a research note on Thursday, December 12th. Citigroup started coverage on West Pharmaceutical Services in a research note on Wednesday, January 8th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $400.00 price target for the company. Bank of America upped their price target on West Pharmaceutical Services from $350.00 to $355.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, December 13th. Finally, StockNews.com cut West Pharmaceutical Services from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Thursday, February 27th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $344.00.

West Pharmaceutical Services Stock Down 2.8 %

NYSE WST traded down $6.54 during trading hours on Wednesday, reaching $224.23. 949,172 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 982,552. The company has a market capitalization of $16.21 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 33.52, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 6.74 and a beta of 1.09. West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. has a one year low of $197.01 and a one year high of $400.88. The company's 50-day moving average is $289.34 and its two-hundred day moving average is $304.27. 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 (NYSE:WST - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 13th. The medical instruments supplier reported $1.82 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.75 by $0.07. The company had revenue of $748.80 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $739.59 million. West Pharmaceutical Services had a net margin of 17.03% and a return on equity of 18.60%. On average, analysts forecast that West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. will post 6.62 EPS for the current fiscal year.

West Pharmaceutical Services Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, May 7th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, April 30th will be paid a dividend of $0.21 per share. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, April 30th. This represents a $0.84 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.37%. West Pharmaceutical Services's dividend payout ratio is currently 12.56%.

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.