Amundi boosted its position in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST - Free Report) by 39.4% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 331,781 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock after buying an additional 93,692 shares during the quarter. Amundi owned approximately 0.46% of West Pharmaceutical Services worth $111,780,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.
Other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Whipplewood Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services during the fourth quarter valued at about $25,000. Retirement Wealth Solutions LLC purchased a new stake in West Pharmaceutical Services in the 4th quarter worth approximately $34,000. Centricity Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in the 4th quarter worth approximately $35,000. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC increased its stake in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 57.1% during the fourth quarter. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC now owns 110 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $38,000 after buying an additional 40 shares during the period. Finally, Brooklyn Investment Group purchased a new position in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services during the third quarter valued at approximately $41,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 93.90% of the company's stock.
West Pharmaceutical Services Stock Down 1.5 %
Shares of WST stock traded down $3.43 during trading hours on Wednesday, hitting $227.35. 305,990 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 967,742. The company has a quick ratio of 2.23, a current ratio of 2.79 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.08. The stock's fifty day simple moving average is $291.41 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $304.83. West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. has a 12-month low of $197.01 and a 12-month high of $400.88. The stock has a market cap of $16.44 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 34.00, a PEG ratio of 6.74 and a beta of 1.09.
West Pharmaceutical Services (NYSE:WST - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Thursday, February 13th. The medical instruments supplier reported $1.82 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.75 by $0.07. West Pharmaceutical Services had a return on equity of 18.60% and a net margin of 17.03%. The business had revenue of $748.80 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $739.59 million. On average, analysts expect that West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. will post 6.62 EPS for the current year.
West Pharmaceutical Services Announces Dividend
The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, May 7th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, April 30th will be paid a dividend of $0.21 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, April 30th. This represents a $0.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.37%. West Pharmaceutical Services's dividend payout ratio is currently 12.56%.
Analyst Ratings Changes
A number of analysts recently commented on the company. StockNews.com lowered West Pharmaceutical Services from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Thursday, February 27th. UBS Group raised shares of West Pharmaceutical Services from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and lifted their target price for the company from $350.00 to $390.00 in a research note on Thursday, December 12th. Bank of America increased their price target on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services from $350.00 to $355.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, December 13th. KeyCorp cut their price objective on West Pharmaceutical Services from $470.00 to $325.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, February 14th. Finally, Wolfe Research started coverage on West Pharmaceutical Services in a research report on Friday, December 13th. They issued a "peer perform" rating for the company. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, West Pharmaceutical Services presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $344.00.
Check Out Our Latest Analysis on WST
About West Pharmaceutical Services
(
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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