Generali Asset Management SPA SGR purchased a new stake in West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST - Free Report) during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor purchased 3,283 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock, valued at approximately $1,075,000.
A number of other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in WST. Van ECK Associates Corp raised its position in West Pharmaceutical Services by 5,074.0% in the 4th quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 689,493 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $225,851,000 after purchasing an additional 676,167 shares during the last quarter. William Blair Investment Management LLC increased its stake in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 731.8% in the 4th quarter. William Blair Investment Management LLC now owns 640,735 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $209,879,000 after buying an additional 563,705 shares during the period. Seilern Investment Management Ltd bought a new stake in West Pharmaceutical Services during the 4th quarter worth about $145,379,000. FMR LLC raised its stake in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 199.4% during the third quarter. FMR LLC now owns 595,775 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $178,828,000 after buying an additional 396,780 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Raymond James Financial Inc. bought a new stake in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services during the 4th quarter valued at $72,646,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 93.90% of the company's stock.
Wall Street Analyst Weigh In
A number of analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Bank of America increased their price target on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services from $350.00 to $355.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, December 13th. Wolfe Research started coverage on West Pharmaceutical Services in a report on Friday, December 13th. They issued a "peer perform" rating 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. UBS Group upgraded West Pharmaceutical Services from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and raised their price target for the company from $350.00 to $390.00 in a research note on Thursday, December 12th. Finally, KeyCorp decreased their price objective on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services from $470.00 to $325.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, February 14th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have given a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $332.50.
Read Our Latest Stock Report on West Pharmaceutical Services
West Pharmaceutical Services Stock Performance
WST traded down $6.11 during trading on Tuesday, hitting $225.79. The stock had a trading volume of 877,962 shares, compared to its average volume of 635,549. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.08, a current ratio of 2.79 and a quick ratio of 2.23. The firm has a market cap of $16.32 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 33.75, a P/E/G ratio of 6.74 and a beta of 1.09. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $272.64 and a 200-day moving average price of $299.96. West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. has a one year low of $197.01 and a one year high of $397.72.
West Pharmaceutical Services (NYSE:WST - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, February 13th. The medical instruments supplier reported $1.82 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.75 by $0.07. The company had revenue of $748.80 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $739.59 million. West Pharmaceutical Services had a net margin of 17.03% and a return on equity of 18.60%. As a group, research analysts predict that West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. will post 6.62 EPS for the current year.
West Pharmaceutical Services Dividend Announcement
The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, May 7th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, April 30th will be given a $0.21 dividend. This represents a $0.84 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.37%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, April 30th. West Pharmaceutical Services's payout ratio is presently 12.56%.
West Pharmaceutical Services Profile
(
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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