West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST) Shares Purchased by Marshall Wace LLP

Marshall Wace LLP grew its stake in West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST - Free Report) by 77.2% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 227,265 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock after buying an additional 99,006 shares during the quarter. Marshall Wace LLP owned 0.31% of West Pharmaceutical Services worth $74,443,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Whipplewood Advisors LLC acquired a new position in West Pharmaceutical Services during the 4th quarter worth approximately $25,000. Retirement Wealth Solutions LLC acquired a new position in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services during the fourth quarter worth $34,000. Centricity Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in West Pharmaceutical Services in the fourth quarter valued at $35,000. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC lifted 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 worth $38,000 after buying an additional 40 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Private Trust Co. NA boosted its position in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 138.6% during the 4th quarter. Private Trust Co. NA now owns 136 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $45,000 after acquiring an additional 79 shares in the last quarter. 93.90% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

West Pharmaceutical Services Stock Performance

Shares of WST stock traded down $7.35 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $201.78. The company had a trading volume of 1,684,568 shares, compared to its average volume of 701,452. The stock has a market cap of $14.59 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 30.16, a PEG ratio of 6.74 and a beta of 1.22. 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 company's 50 day simple moving average is $219.89 and its 200 day simple moving average is $286.52. West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. has a 52-week low of $187.43 and a 52-week high of $394.42.

West Pharmaceutical Services (NYSE:WST - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 13th. The medical instruments supplier reported $1.82 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.75 by $0.07. The company had revenue of $748.80 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $739.59 million. West Pharmaceutical Services had a net margin of 17.03% and a return on equity of 18.60%. Research analysts anticipate that West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. will post 6.62 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

West Pharmaceutical Services Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, May 7th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, April 30th will be issued a $0.21 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, April 30th. This represents a $0.84 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.42%. West Pharmaceutical Services's dividend payout ratio is currently 12.56%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts recently weighed in on the company. Citigroup initiated coverage on West Pharmaceutical Services in a research note on Wednesday, January 8th. They set a "buy" rating and a $400.00 target price for the company. StockNews.com cut shares of West Pharmaceutical Services from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Thursday, February 27th. KeyCorp reduced their price target 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. 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. Finally, Evercore ISI began coverage on West Pharmaceutical Services in a research note on Tuesday, March 18th. They set an "outperform" rating and a $275.00 price target on the stock. 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 has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $332.50.

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.