Oppenheimer Asset Management Inc. Reduces Position in West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST)

Oppenheimer Asset Management Inc. cut its holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST - Free Report) by 4.2% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 38,297 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock after selling 1,668 shares during the period. Oppenheimer Asset Management Inc. owned approximately 0.05% of West Pharmaceutical Services worth $12,545,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Van ECK Associates Corp grew its stake in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 5,074.0% in the 4th quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 689,493 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $225,851,000 after buying an additional 676,167 shares during the period. Seilern Investment Management Ltd bought a new position in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $145,379,000. FMR LLC increased its position in West Pharmaceutical Services by 199.4% in the third quarter. FMR LLC now owns 595,775 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $178,828,000 after buying an additional 396,780 shares during the last quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp increased its holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services by 6.3% in the 4th quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 3,449,811 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $1,130,020,000 after acquiring an additional 203,198 shares during the last quarter. Finally, UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC increased its stake in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 21.8% in the third quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 683,350 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $205,114,000 after purchasing an additional 122,361 shares in the last quarter. 93.90% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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West Pharmaceutical Services Price Performance

WST traded down $4.22 on Monday, reaching $228.12. The company had a trading volume of 1,144,664 shares, compared to its average volume of 984,977. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.08, a quick ratio of 2.23 and a current ratio of 2.79. West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. has a 52-week low of $197.01 and a 52-week high of $400.88. The company has a market cap of $16.49 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 34.10, a P/E/G ratio of 6.74 and a beta of 1.01. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $305.65 and a 200 day simple moving average of $308.32.

West Pharmaceutical Services (NYSE:WST - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 13th. The medical instruments supplier reported $1.82 earnings per share for the quarter, beating 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 firm had revenue of $748.80 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $739.59 million. As a group, sell-side 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 announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, May 7th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, April 30th will be paid a $0.21 dividend. This represents a $0.84 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.37%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, April 30th. West Pharmaceutical Services's dividend payout ratio is currently 12.56%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts recently commented on the stock. KeyCorp dropped their price target on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services from $470.00 to $325.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, February 14th. UBS Group upgraded West Pharmaceutical Services from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and increased their target price for the stock from $350.00 to $390.00 in a research report on Thursday, December 12th. Citigroup initiated coverage on West Pharmaceutical Services in a research report on Wednesday, January 8th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $400.00 price target for the company. Bank of America boosted their price objective on West Pharmaceutical Services from $350.00 to $355.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, December 13th. Finally, StockNews.com lowered West Pharmaceutical Services from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Thursday. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average 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.