Geode Capital Management LLC Acquires 38,757 Shares of West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST)

Geode Capital Management LLC grew its position in West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST - Free Report) by 2.2% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 1,778,940 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock after buying an additional 38,757 shares during the quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC owned 2.46% of West Pharmaceutical Services worth $581,209,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Baron Wealth Management LLC raised its position in West Pharmaceutical Services by 1.9% during the fourth quarter. Baron Wealth Management LLC now owns 1,926 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $631,000 after purchasing an additional 35 shares in the last quarter. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC increased its holdings in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 18.9% during the fourth quarter. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC now owns 239 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $78,000 after buying an additional 38 shares in the last quarter. Lake Street Advisors Group LLC lifted its stake in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 5.8% in the 4th quarter. Lake Street Advisors Group LLC now owns 711 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $233,000 after acquiring an additional 39 shares during the last quarter. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC boosted its holdings in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 57.1% during the 4th quarter. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC now owns 110 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $38,000 after acquiring an additional 40 shares in the last quarter. Finally, KBC Group NV grew its position in West Pharmaceutical Services by 0.4% during the 4th quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 9,980 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $3,269,000 after acquiring an additional 42 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 93.90% of the company's stock.

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West Pharmaceutical Services Trading Up 6.8 %

WST traded up $13.04 during trading on Wednesday, hitting $203.43. The company's stock had a trading volume of 1,291,084 shares, compared to its average volume of 683,168. The firm has a market capitalization of $14.71 billion, a P/E ratio of 30.41, a PEG ratio of 6.74 and a beta of 1.22. West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. has a twelve month low of $187.43 and a twelve month high of $394.42. The stock's fifty day moving average price is $236.88 and its 200-day moving average price is $291.23. 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 (NYSE:WST - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 13th. The medical instruments supplier reported $1.82 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.75 by $0.07. The firm had revenue of $748.80 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $739.59 million. West Pharmaceutical Services had a return on equity of 18.60% and a net margin of 17.03%. Analysts anticipate that West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. will post 6.62 EPS for the current year.

West Pharmaceutical Services Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, May 7th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, April 30th will be issued a dividend of $0.21 per share. This represents a $0.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.41%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, April 30th. West Pharmaceutical Services's dividend payout ratio is 12.56%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts have recently commented on the company. StockNews.com lowered West Pharmaceutical Services from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Thursday, February 27th. Bank of America lifted their target price on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services from $350.00 to $355.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, December 13th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upgraded shares of West Pharmaceutical Services from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $250.00 price target for the company in a research report on Friday, February 14th. Evercore ISI initiated coverage on West Pharmaceutical Services in a report on Tuesday, March 18th. They issued an "outperform" rating and a $275.00 price objective for the company. Finally, KeyCorp cut their target price on West Pharmaceutical Services from $470.00 to $325.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, February 14th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $332.50.

About West Pharmaceutical Services

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.