FMR LLC grew its holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST - Free Report) by 83.1% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 1,090,603 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock after acquiring an additional 494,828 shares during the quarter. FMR LLC owned 1.51% of West Pharmaceutical Services worth $357,238,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.
A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the stock. Quadrant Capital Group LLC raised its position in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 5.4% during the fourth quarter. Quadrant Capital Group LLC now owns 626 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $205,000 after buying an additional 32 shares during the last quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. raised its holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services by 1.3% in the 4th quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. now owns 309,478 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $101,372,000 after acquiring an additional 3,891 shares in the last quarter. Oarsman Capital Inc. raised its holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services by 29.9% in the 4th quarter. Oarsman Capital Inc. now owns 478 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $157,000 after acquiring an additional 110 shares in the last quarter. Resona Asset Management Co. Ltd. bought a new stake in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in the 4th quarter worth approximately $8,994,000. Finally, Prudential PLC grew its holdings in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 66.9% during the 4th quarter. Prudential PLC now owns 16,863 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $5,524,000 after purchasing an additional 6,761 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 93.90% of the company's stock.
West Pharmaceutical Services Price Performance
WST stock traded down $0.87 during midday trading on Wednesday, reaching $211.63. 163,662 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 952,526. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $226.99 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $288.51. 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 1-year low of $187.43 and a 1-year high of $394.42. The company has a market cap of $15.30 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 31.63, a PEG ratio of 6.74 and a beta of 1.22.
West Pharmaceutical Services (NYSE:WST - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, February 13th. The medical instruments supplier reported $1.82 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.75 by $0.07. The company had revenue of $748.80 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $739.59 million. West Pharmaceutical Services had a return on equity of 18.60% and a net margin of 17.03%. On average, analysts anticipate that West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. will post 6.62 earnings per share for the current year.
West Pharmaceutical Services Dividend Announcement
The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, May 7th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, April 30th will be paid a $0.21 dividend. This represents a $0.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.40%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, April 30th. West Pharmaceutical Services's dividend payout ratio is presently 12.56%.
Analysts Set New Price Targets
Several equities research analysts have issued reports on the stock. Evercore ISI initiated coverage on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in a report on Tuesday, March 18th. They issued an "outperform" rating and a $275.00 price target on the stock. Citigroup assumed coverage on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in a research report on Wednesday, January 8th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $400.00 price target for the company. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised West Pharmaceutical Services from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $250.00 price objective on the stock in a report on Friday, February 14th. KeyCorp dropped their target price on West Pharmaceutical Services from $470.00 to $325.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Friday, February 14th. Finally, StockNews.com lowered West Pharmaceutical Services from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Thursday, February 27th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have assigned a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $332.50.
View Our Latest Research Report on West Pharmaceutical Services
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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