Czech National Bank Acquires 926 Shares of West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST)

Czech National Bank lifted its stake in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST - Free Report) by 6.3% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 15,703 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock after purchasing an additional 926 shares during the period. Czech National Bank's holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services were worth $5,144,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Northwest Investment Counselors LLC bought a new stake in West Pharmaceutical Services during the third quarter worth $30,000. Brooklyn Investment Group bought a new stake in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in the 3rd quarter valued at about $41,000. Quest Partners LLC lifted its stake 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 purchasing an additional 169 shares during the last quarter. Hilltop National Bank grew its holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services by 47.9% during the fourth quarter. Hilltop National Bank now owns 216 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $71,000 after purchasing an additional 70 shares during the period. Finally, Eastern Bank acquired a new position in West Pharmaceutical Services during the third quarter worth approximately $82,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 93.90% of the company's stock.

West Pharmaceutical Services Stock Performance

Shares of West Pharmaceutical Services stock opened at $329.13 on Thursday. The company has a current ratio of 3.00, a quick ratio of 2.23 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.07. The company has a market cap of $23.84 billion, a PE ratio of 48.83, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 17.72 and a beta of 1.00. The company has a 50 day moving average of $326.49 and a 200-day moving average of $312.41. West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. has a 1-year low of $265.00 and a 1-year high of $413.70.

West Pharmaceutical Services (NYSE:WST - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, October 24th. The medical instruments supplier reported $1.85 earnings per share for the quarter, beating 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 for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $709.62 million. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $2.16 EPS. The company's revenue was down .1% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. will post 6.67 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

West Pharmaceutical Services Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, November 20th. Investors of record on Wednesday, November 13th were issued a dividend of $0.21 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, November 13th. This is a positive change from West Pharmaceutical Services's previous quarterly dividend of $0.20. This represents a $0.84 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.26%. West Pharmaceutical Services's payout ratio is 12.46%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other West Pharmaceutical Services news, VP Charles Witherspoon sold 703 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, October 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $310.40, for a total value of $218,211.20. Following the sale, the vice president now owns 1,253 shares in the company, valued at $388,931.20. This trade represents a 35.94 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. 0.53% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts have recently commented on WST shares. UBS Group upgraded West Pharmaceutical Services from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and lifted their target price for the stock from $350.00 to $390.00 in a research note on Thursday, December 12th. Citigroup initiated 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 for the company. Bank of America boosted their price target on West Pharmaceutical Services from $350.00 to $355.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, December 13th. Finally, Wolfe Research initiated coverage on West Pharmaceutical Services in a research report on Friday, December 13th. They set a "peer perform" rating on the stock. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, West Pharmaceutical Services presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $430.20.

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.