Seilern Investment Management Ltd Purchases Shares of 443,825 West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST)

Seilern Investment Management Ltd bought a new stake in West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST - Free Report) in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm bought 443,825 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock, valued at approximately $145,379,000. West Pharmaceutical Services comprises 8.3% of Seilern Investment Management Ltd's investment portfolio, making the stock its 4th largest position. Seilern Investment Management Ltd owned about 0.61% of West Pharmaceutical Services as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the business. Principal Financial Group Inc. lifted its stake in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 2.3% during the 3rd quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 91,756 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $27,541,000 after buying an additional 2,037 shares during the last quarter. Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd. lifted its position in West Pharmaceutical Services by 22.4% during the third quarter. Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 130,345 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $39,124,000 after acquiring an additional 23,850 shares during the last quarter. Swedbank AB boosted its holdings in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 44.6% during the third quarter. Swedbank AB now owns 7,195 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $2,160,000 after acquiring an additional 2,220 shares during the period. Sanctuary Advisors LLC grew its position in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 80.9% in the third quarter. Sanctuary Advisors LLC now owns 6,800 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $2,153,000 after purchasing an additional 3,042 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Natixis Advisors LLC increased its stake in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 9.7% during the third quarter. Natixis Advisors LLC now owns 53,747 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $16,133,000 after purchasing an additional 4,740 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 93.90% of the company's stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other West Pharmaceutical Services news, VP Charles Witherspoon sold 703 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, October 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $310.40, for a total transaction of $218,211.20. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now directly owns 1,253 shares in the company, valued at approximately $388,931.20. This trade represents a 35.94 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. 0.53% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms have weighed in on WST. Bank of America increased their price objective on West Pharmaceutical Services from $350.00 to $355.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, December 13th. UBS Group upgraded shares of 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. Wolfe Research began coverage on West Pharmaceutical Services in a report on Friday, December 13th. They set a "peer perform" rating on the stock. Finally, Citigroup assumed 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 research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, West Pharmaceutical Services currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $430.20.

West Pharmaceutical Services Trading Down 0.3 %

Shares of West Pharmaceutical Services stock traded down $1.05 on Monday, hitting $336.15. The stock had a trading volume of 610,302 shares, compared to its average volume of 468,098. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $327.18 and a 200 day moving average of $312.76. The firm has a market capitalization 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, Inc. has a twelve month low of $265.00 and a twelve month high of $413.70. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.07, a quick ratio of 2.23 and a current ratio of 3.00.

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

West Pharmaceutical Services Increases Dividend

The business 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. This represents a $0.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.25%. This is an increase from West Pharmaceutical Services's previous quarterly dividend of $0.20. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, November 13th. West Pharmaceutical Services's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 12.46%.

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.