ICICI Prudential Asset Management Co Ltd Takes $4.59 Million Position in West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST)

ICICI Prudential Asset Management Co Ltd acquired a new position in West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST - Free Report) during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm acquired 14,000 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock, valued at approximately $4,586,000.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Northwest Investment Counselors LLC bought a new position in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services during the third quarter valued at $30,000. Retirement Wealth Solutions LLC acquired a new position in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in the 4th quarter worth approximately $34,000. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC increased its holdings in 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 purchasing an additional 40 shares in the last quarter. Brooklyn Investment Group bought a new position in West Pharmaceutical Services in the 3rd quarter valued at $41,000. Finally, MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB boosted its stake in West Pharmaceutical Services by 60.8% in the fourth quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB now owns 209 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $68,000 after purchasing an additional 79 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 93.90% of the company's stock.

West Pharmaceutical Services Trading Up 3.5 %

WST stock traded up $7.07 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $210.72. The company's stock had a trading volume of 1,882,015 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,170,810. The business's 50-day simple moving average is $316.29 and its 200-day simple moving average is $310.57. 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 52 week low of $197.01 and a 52 week high of $400.88. The stock has a market cap of $15.24 billion, a PE ratio of 31.50, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 6.74 and a beta of 1.01.

West Pharmaceutical Services (NYSE:WST - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 13th. The medical instruments supplier reported $1.82 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.75 by $0.07. The business had revenue of $748.80 million for 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%. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. will post 6.62 EPS 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. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, April 30th will be given a dividend of $0.21 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, April 30th. This represents a $0.84 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.40%. West Pharmaceutical Services's payout ratio is currently 12.56%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have recently weighed in on WST shares. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upgraded West Pharmaceutical Services from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $250.00 target price for the company in a research note on Friday, February 14th. Wolfe Research started coverage on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in a research report on Friday, December 13th. They issued a "peer perform" rating for the company. Bank of America upped 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. KeyCorp dropped 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. Finally, Citigroup started coverage on West Pharmaceutical Services in a research report on Wednesday, January 8th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $400.00 price objective on the stock. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, West Pharmaceutical Services currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $344.00.

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.