Park Avenue Securities LLC Has $2.86 Million Stock Position in West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST)

Park Avenue Securities LLC grew its stake in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST - Free Report) by 16.3% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 8,717 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock after purchasing an additional 1,222 shares during the quarter. Park Avenue Securities LLC's holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services were worth $2,855,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Choreo LLC purchased a new position in West Pharmaceutical Services in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $234,000. American Century Companies Inc. boosted its stake in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 7.8% in the second quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 17,655 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $5,815,000 after purchasing an additional 1,283 shares during the period. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP grew its holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services by 11.7% during the 2nd quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 288,639 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $95,075,000 after purchasing an additional 30,253 shares in the last quarter. Hsbc Holdings PLC increased its stake in West Pharmaceutical Services by 11.7% during the 2nd quarter. Hsbc Holdings PLC now owns 186,718 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $61,727,000 after buying an additional 19,561 shares during the period. Finally, Benjamin F. Edwards & Company Inc. lifted its holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services by 8.4% in the 2nd quarter. Benjamin F. Edwards & Company Inc. now owns 1,366 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $450,000 after buying an additional 106 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 93.90% of the company's stock.

West Pharmaceutical Services Stock Performance

WST traded down $1.05 during trading on Friday, reaching $336.15. 610,302 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 468,098. West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. has a 52 week low of $265.00 and a 52 week high of $413.70. The company has a current ratio of 3.00, a quick ratio of 2.23 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.07. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $327.01 and a 200 day moving average of $312.78. The stock has a market cap of $24.34 billion, a P/E ratio of 49.87, a PEG ratio of 17.72 and a beta of 1.00.

West Pharmaceutical Services (NYSE:WST - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 24th. The medical instruments supplier reported $1.85 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.50 by $0.35. The business had revenue of $746.90 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $709.62 million. West Pharmaceutical Services had a net margin of 17.37% and a return on equity of 18.41%. The company's revenue for the quarter was down .1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $2.16 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. will post 6.67 EPS for the current fiscal year.

West Pharmaceutical Services Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, November 20th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, November 13th were given a dividend of $0.21 per share. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, November 13th. This is an increase from West Pharmaceutical Services's previous quarterly dividend of $0.20. This represents a $0.84 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.25%. West Pharmaceutical Services's payout ratio is currently 12.46%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms recently commented on WST. Wolfe Research initiated coverage on West Pharmaceutical Services in a research note on Friday, December 13th. They issued a "peer perform" rating on the stock. Citigroup began coverage on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in a research report on Wednesday, January 8th. They set a "buy" rating and a $400.00 price target on the stock. Bank of America increased their target price on West Pharmaceutical Services from $350.00 to $355.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, December 13th. Finally, UBS Group upgraded West Pharmaceutical Services from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and raised their price objective for the stock from $350.00 to $390.00 in a research note on Thursday, December 12th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $430.20.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other West Pharmaceutical Services news, VP Charles Witherspoon sold 703 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, October 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $310.40, for a total transaction of $218,211.20. Following the transaction, the vice president now owns 1,253 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $388,931.20. This trade represents a 35.94 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 0.53% of the company's stock.

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.