94,988 Shares in West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST) Acquired by Brown Brothers Harriman & Co.

Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. acquired a new stake in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST - Free Report) during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm acquired 94,988 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock, valued at approximately $31,114,000. Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. owned approximately 0.13% of West Pharmaceutical Services as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Whipplewood Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services during the 4th quarter worth about $25,000. Retirement Wealth Solutions LLC bought a new stake in West Pharmaceutical Services during the fourth quarter worth approximately $34,000. Centricity Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in West Pharmaceutical Services during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $35,000. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC raised its position in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 57.1% in the fourth quarter. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC now owns 110 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $38,000 after purchasing an additional 40 shares during the period. Finally, IFP Advisors Inc lifted its stake in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 150.9% in the fourth quarter. IFP Advisors Inc now owns 133 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $45,000 after buying an additional 80 shares during the last quarter. 93.90% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Bank of America raised their target price on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services from $350.00 to $355.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, December 13th. KeyCorp dropped their price objective 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 initiated coverage on West Pharmaceutical Services in a research note on Wednesday, January 8th. They set a "buy" rating and a $400.00 target price for the company. UBS Group raised West Pharmaceutical Services from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and lifted their price target for the stock from $350.00 to $390.00 in a research report on Thursday, December 12th. Finally, StockNews.com cut West Pharmaceutical Services from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Thursday, February 27th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have issued a buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $332.50.

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West Pharmaceutical Services Stock Performance

West Pharmaceutical Services stock traded up $2.64 during trading hours on Wednesday, hitting $222.80. The stock had a trading volume of 298,914 shares, compared to its average volume of 663,674. The company has a 50-day moving average of $259.25 and a two-hundred day moving average of $296.71. The company has a quick ratio of 2.23, a current ratio of 2.79 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.08. West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $197.01 and a fifty-two week high of $396.75. The company has a market cap of $16.11 billion, a PE ratio of 33.30, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 6.74 and a beta of 1.09.

West Pharmaceutical Services (NYSE:WST - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, February 13th. The medical instruments supplier reported $1.82 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates 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 during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $739.59 million. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. will post 6.62 EPS for the current fiscal year.

West Pharmaceutical Services Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, May 7th. Investors of record on Wednesday, April 30th will be paid a $0.21 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, April 30th. This represents a $0.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.38%. West Pharmaceutical Services's 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.