West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST) Shares Sold by Bright Rock Capital Management LLC

Bright Rock Capital Management LLC trimmed its holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST - Free Report) by 23.4% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 36,000 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock after selling 11,000 shares during the period. West Pharmaceutical Services accounts for approximately 2.5% of Bright Rock Capital Management LLC's holdings, making the stock its 9th largest position. Bright Rock Capital Management LLC's holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services were worth $11,792,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of WST. Northwest Investment Counselors LLC acquired a new position in West Pharmaceutical Services in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Brooklyn Investment Group bought a new position in West Pharmaceutical Services in the 3rd quarter valued at $41,000. Quest Partners LLC increased its position in West Pharmaceutical Services by 5,633.3% in the 2nd quarter. Quest Partners LLC now owns 172 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $57,000 after acquiring an additional 169 shares in the last quarter. Hilltop National Bank lifted its holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services by 47.9% during the 4th quarter. Hilltop National Bank now owns 216 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $71,000 after buying an additional 70 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Eastern Bank bought a new stake in West Pharmaceutical Services during the 3rd quarter worth about $82,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 93.90% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

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

West Pharmaceutical Services Stock Up 0.1 %

Shares of NYSE WST traded up $0.17 during trading hours on Wednesday, hitting $329.13. The company had a trading volume of 447,227 shares, compared to its average volume of 461,325. The stock has a market capitalization of $23.84 billion, a P/E ratio of 48.83, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 25.04 and a beta of 1.00. West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. has a 1-year low of $265.00 and a 1-year high of $413.70. The firm's 50 day moving average is $326.49 and its 200-day moving average is $312.41. The company has a quick ratio of 2.23, a current ratio of 3.00 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.07.

West Pharmaceutical Services (NYSE:WST - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 24th. The medical instruments supplier reported $1.85 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate 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 for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $709.62 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $2.16 earnings per share. The business's revenue for the quarter was down .1% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, analysts expect that West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. will post 6.64 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

West Pharmaceutical Services Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, November 20th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, November 13th were issued a dividend of $0.21 per share. This represents a $0.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.26%. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, November 13th. This is a boost from West Pharmaceutical Services's previous quarterly dividend of $0.20. West Pharmaceutical Services's payout ratio is currently 12.46%.

Insider Transactions at West Pharmaceutical Services

In other West Pharmaceutical Services news, VP Charles Witherspoon sold 703 shares of West Pharmaceutical Services stock in a transaction on 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 directly owns 1,253 shares of the company's stock, valued at $388,931.20. The trade was a 35.94 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. 0.53% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

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.