Avanza Fonder AB Purchases New Holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST)

Avanza Fonder AB purchased a new position in West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST - Free Report) in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor purchased 7,793 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock, valued at approximately $2,553,000.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the business. FMR LLC boosted its position in West Pharmaceutical Services by 199.4% during the 3rd quarter. FMR LLC now owns 595,775 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $178,828,000 after acquiring an additional 396,780 shares in the last quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC lifted its stake in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 21.8% during the 3rd quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 683,350 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $205,114,000 after purchasing an additional 122,361 shares during the last quarter. Champlain Investment Partners LLC grew its stake in West Pharmaceutical Services by 29.7% in the third quarter. Champlain Investment Partners LLC now owns 444,000 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $133,271,000 after purchasing an additional 101,710 shares during the last quarter. DF Dent & Co. Inc. raised its holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services by 33.0% in the third quarter. DF Dent & Co. Inc. now owns 397,152 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $119,209,000 after purchasing an additional 98,564 shares in the last quarter. Finally, BNP Paribas Financial Markets lifted its position in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 88.4% during the third quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 134,483 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $40,366,000 after buying an additional 63,102 shares during the last quarter. 93.90% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

West Pharmaceutical Services Stock Performance

WST stock traded down $1.05 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $336.15. The stock had a trading volume of 610,302 shares, compared to its average volume of 468,098. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.07, a quick ratio of 2.23 and a current ratio of 3.00. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $327.01 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $312.78. The stock has a market cap of $24.34 billion, a PE ratio of 49.87, a P/E/G ratio of 17.72 and a beta of 1.00. West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. has a 52-week low of $265.00 and a 52-week high of $413.70.

West Pharmaceutical Services (NYSE:WST - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Thursday, October 24th. The medical instruments supplier reported $1.85 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.50 by $0.35. West Pharmaceutical Services had a return on equity of 18.41% and a net margin of 17.37%. The firm had revenue of $746.90 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $709.62 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $2.16 earnings per share. The company's revenue was down .1% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. will post 6.67 EPS for the current year.

West Pharmaceutical Services Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, November 20th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, November 13th were given a $0.21 dividend. This represents a $0.84 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.25%. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, November 13th. This is a positive change from West Pharmaceutical Services's previous quarterly dividend of $0.20. West Pharmaceutical Services's dividend payout ratio is currently 12.46%.

Insider Transactions at West Pharmaceutical Services

In related news, VP Charles Witherspoon sold 703 shares of West Pharmaceutical Services stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, October 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $310.40, for a total value of $218,211.20. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now owns 1,253 shares in the company, valued at $388,931.20. The trade was a 35.94 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 0.53% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

WST has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. Bank of America lifted their price objective on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services from $350.00 to $355.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, December 13th. Citigroup initiated coverage on West Pharmaceutical Services in a research report on Wednesday, January 8th. They set a "buy" rating and a $400.00 price target on the stock. Wolfe Research initiated coverage on West Pharmaceutical Services in a report on Friday, December 13th. They set a "peer perform" rating for the company. Finally, UBS Group upgraded West Pharmaceutical Services from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and boosted their target price for the stock from $350.00 to $390.00 in a research note on Thursday, December 12th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, West Pharmaceutical Services presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $430.20.

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.