Prudential Financial Inc. decreased its position in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST - Free Report) by 20.8% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 37,558 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock after selling 9,883 shares during the period. Prudential Financial Inc. owned 0.05% of West Pharmaceutical Services worth $12,302,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.
Other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Whipplewood Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services during the 4th quarter worth about $25,000. Retirement Wealth Solutions LLC purchased a new position in West Pharmaceutical Services during the fourth quarter worth approximately $34,000. Centricity Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in the 4th quarter valued at $35,000. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC grew its stake in shares of 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 valued at $38,000 after buying an additional 40 shares during the period. Finally, Brooklyn Investment Group acquired a new stake in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services during the 3rd quarter worth $41,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 93.90% of the company's stock.
West Pharmaceutical Services Stock Up 1.0 %
WST stock traded up $2.16 during trading on Wednesday, reaching $222.32. The stock had a trading volume of 148,522 shares, compared to its average volume of 947,017. The company has a current ratio of 2.79, a quick ratio of 2.23 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.08. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $259.25 and a 200 day moving average price of $296.71. The company has a market capitalization of $16.07 billion, a P/E ratio of 33.26, a PEG ratio of 6.74 and a beta of 1.09. West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. has a 1-year low of $197.01 and a 1-year high of $396.75.
West Pharmaceutical Services (NYSE:WST - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, February 13th. The medical instruments supplier reported $1.82 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.75 by $0.07. The company had revenue of $748.80 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $739.59 million. West Pharmaceutical Services had a return on equity of 18.60% and a net margin of 17.03%. On average, equities analysts anticipate that West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. will post 6.62 earnings per share for the current year.
West Pharmaceutical Services Announces Dividend
The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, May 7th. Investors of record on Wednesday, April 30th will be paid a dividend of $0.21 per share. This represents a $0.84 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.38%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, April 30th. West Pharmaceutical Services's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 12.56%.
Analyst Ratings Changes
WST has been the subject of several research analyst reports. Citigroup initiated coverage on West Pharmaceutical Services in a research note on Wednesday, January 8th. They set a "buy" rating and a $400.00 price target for the company. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised shares of West Pharmaceutical Services from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $250.00 target price for the company in a research report on Friday, February 14th. StockNews.com downgraded shares of West Pharmaceutical Services from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Thursday, February 27th. UBS Group raised shares of West Pharmaceutical Services from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and raised their target price for the company from $350.00 to $390.00 in a research note on Thursday, December 12th. Finally, Evercore ISI initiated coverage on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in a research report on Tuesday, March 18th. They set an "outperform" rating and a $275.00 price target for the company. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $332.50.
Check Out Our Latest Stock Report on West Pharmaceutical Services
About West Pharmaceutical Services
(
Free Report)
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.
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