Mizuho Securities USA LLC Boosts Stock Holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST)

Mizuho Securities USA LLC increased its holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST - Free Report) by 45.9% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 6,864 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock after acquiring an additional 2,160 shares during the quarter. Mizuho Securities USA LLC's holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services were worth $2,248,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other large investors have also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Baron Wealth Management LLC raised its holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services by 1.9% in the 4th quarter. Baron Wealth Management LLC now owns 1,926 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $631,000 after acquiring an additional 35 shares during the last quarter. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC increased its holdings in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 18.9% in the fourth 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 grew 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 worth $233,000 after buying an additional 39 shares in the last quarter. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC lifted its position in West Pharmaceutical Services by 57.1% in the fourth 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, KBC Group NV grew its stake in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 0.4% during the fourth quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 9,980 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $3,269,000 after buying 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 Stock Performance

Shares of WST traded down $3.98 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $222.08. The stock had a trading volume of 496,755 shares, compared to its average volume of 664,265. The firm has a market capitalization of $16.06 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 33.20, a PEG ratio of 6.74 and a beta of 1.09. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.08, a quick ratio of 2.23 and a current ratio of 2.79. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $266.26 and a 200 day moving average price of $298.43. West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $197.01 and a fifty-two week high of $396.75.

West Pharmaceutical Services (NYSE:WST - Get Free Report) last posted its 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. West Pharmaceutical Services had a net margin of 17.03% and a return on equity of 18.60%. The business had revenue of $748.80 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $739.59 million. As a group, research analysts anticipate that West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. will post 6.62 EPS for the current year.

West Pharmaceutical Services Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, May 7th. Investors of record on Wednesday, April 30th will be paid a $0.21 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, April 30th. This represents a $0.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.38%. West Pharmaceutical Services's dividend payout ratio is currently 12.56%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages have recently issued reports on WST. UBS Group upgraded West Pharmaceutical Services from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and lifted their price target for the company from $350.00 to $390.00 in a report on Thursday, December 12th. KeyCorp lowered their price target on 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. Evercore ISI assumed coverage on West Pharmaceutical Services in a research note on Tuesday, March 18th. They issued an "outperform" rating and a $275.00 price objective for the company. Bank of America increased their price target on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services from $350.00 to $355.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, December 13th. Finally, Citigroup began coverage on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in a research note 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 six have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, West Pharmaceutical Services currently has a consensus 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.