Canada Post Corp Registered Pension Plan Acquires Shares of 1,325 West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST)

Canada Post Corp Registered Pension Plan bought a new position in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST - Free Report) in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund bought 1,325 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock, valued at approximately $434,000.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the company. Whipplewood Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in West Pharmaceutical Services in the fourth quarter worth $25,000. Retirement Wealth Solutions LLC bought a new position in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services during the 4th quarter valued at about $34,000. Centricity Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in West Pharmaceutical Services during the 4th quarter worth approximately $35,000. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC boosted its holdings 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 buying an additional 40 shares during the period. Finally, Private Trust Co. NA raised its holdings in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 138.6% during the fourth quarter. Private Trust Co. NA now owns 136 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $45,000 after acquiring an additional 79 shares during the period. 93.90% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

West Pharmaceutical Services Stock Performance

WST traded up $0.44 during trading hours on Monday, reaching $202.34. The company's stock had a trading volume of 131,826 shares, compared to its average volume of 699,228. The company's 50-day moving average is $219.89 and its 200-day moving average is $286.45. West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. has a 52 week low of $187.43 and a 52 week high of $394.42. The firm has a market cap of $14.63 billion, a PE ratio of 30.25, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 6.74 and a beta of 1.22. 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 posted its earnings results on Thursday, February 13th. The medical instruments supplier reported $1.82 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.75 by $0.07. West Pharmaceutical Services had a net margin of 17.03% and a return on equity of 18.60%. The company had revenue of $748.80 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $739.59 million. On average, equities analysts forecast that West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. will post 6.62 EPS for the current year.

West Pharmaceutical Services Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, May 7th. Investors of record on Wednesday, April 30th will be issued a dividend of $0.21 per share. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, April 30th. This represents a $0.84 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.42%. West Pharmaceutical Services's payout ratio is currently 12.56%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts have issued reports on WST shares. Evercore ISI initiated coverage on West Pharmaceutical Services in a research note on Tuesday, March 18th. They issued an "outperform" rating and a $275.00 price target on the stock. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upgraded shares of West Pharmaceutical Services from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $250.00 target price for the company in a report on Friday, February 14th. Citigroup started coverage on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in a research note on Wednesday, January 8th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $400.00 price target on the stock. StockNews.com downgraded shares of West Pharmaceutical Services from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Thursday, February 27th. Finally, KeyCorp lowered their target price 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. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $332.50.

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.