West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST) Position Increased by Kayne Anderson Rudnick Investment Management LLC

Kayne Anderson Rudnick Investment Management LLC lifted its holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST - Free Report) by 3.6% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 632,307 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock after buying an additional 21,806 shares during the quarter. Kayne Anderson Rudnick Investment Management LLC owned approximately 0.87% of West Pharmaceutical Services worth $207,119,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the business. Quadrant Capital Group LLC lifted its holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services by 5.4% in the fourth quarter. Quadrant Capital Group LLC now owns 626 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $205,000 after acquiring an additional 32 shares during the last quarter. Baron Wealth Management LLC raised its position in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 1.9% during the 4th quarter. Baron Wealth Management LLC now owns 1,926 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $631,000 after purchasing an additional 35 shares during the period. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC lifted its holdings in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 18.9% in the 4th quarter. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC now owns 239 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $78,000 after purchasing an additional 38 shares during the last quarter. Lake Street Advisors Group LLC boosted its position in West Pharmaceutical Services by 5.8% during the 4th quarter. Lake Street Advisors Group LLC now owns 711 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $233,000 after purchasing an additional 39 shares during the period. Finally, Cornerstone Planning Group LLC grew its stake 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 worth $38,000 after buying an additional 40 shares during the last quarter. 93.90% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms have issued reports on WST. Stephens upgraded West Pharmaceutical Services to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Monday. StockNews.com lowered shares of West Pharmaceutical Services from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Thursday, February 27th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upgraded shares of West Pharmaceutical Services from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $250.00 price target on the stock in a research note on Friday, February 14th. Citigroup initiated coverage on West Pharmaceutical Services in a research report on Wednesday, January 8th. They set a "buy" rating and a $400.00 price objective for the company. Finally, KeyCorp lowered their target price on West Pharmaceutical Services from $470.00 to $325.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, February 14th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, six have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $332.50.

West Pharmaceutical Services Price Performance

NYSE WST traded down $7.74 on Thursday, reaching $210.44. 2,545,598 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 718,593. West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. has a 12 month low of $187.43 and a 12 month high of $394.42. The company has a quick ratio of 2.23, a current ratio of 2.79 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.08. The firm's fifty day simple moving average is $217.91 and its 200 day simple moving average is $284.85. The company has a market cap of $15.21 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 31.46, a P/E/G ratio of 6.74 and a beta of 1.22.

West Pharmaceutical Services (NYSE:WST - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 24th. The medical instruments supplier reported $1.45 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.30 by $0.15. 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 fiscal year.

West Pharmaceutical Services Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, August 6th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, July 30th will be paid a dividend of $0.21 per share. This represents a $0.84 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.40%. West Pharmaceutical Services's dividend payout ratio is presently 12.56%.

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.