Terra Alpha Investments LLC bought a new position in West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST - Free Report) during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund bought 5,440 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock, valued at approximately $1,782,000. West Pharmaceutical Services makes up approximately 1.8% of Terra Alpha Investments LLC's portfolio, making the stock its 23rd biggest holding.
A number of other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of WST. Whipplewood Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in West Pharmaceutical Services during the 4th quarter valued at about $25,000. Retirement Wealth Solutions LLC bought a new position in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in the fourth quarter worth approximately $34,000. Centricity Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $35,000. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC increased its position in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 57.1% during the fourth quarter. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC now owns 110 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $38,000 after acquiring an additional 40 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Brooklyn Investment Group bought a new position in West Pharmaceutical Services in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $41,000. 93.90% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.
West Pharmaceutical Services Stock Performance
Shares of West Pharmaceutical Services stock traded up $1.52 on Friday, hitting $229.03. 2,640,938 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 634,008. 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 stock has a market capitalization of $16.56 billion, a PE ratio of 34.23, 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 $400.88. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $276.85 and a 200-day simple moving average of $301.09.
West Pharmaceutical Services (NYSE:WST - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 13th. The medical instruments supplier reported $1.82 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.75 by $0.07. West Pharmaceutical Services had a return on equity of 18.60% and a net margin of 17.03%. The business had revenue of $748.80 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $739.59 million. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. will post 6.62 EPS for the current year.
West Pharmaceutical Services Announces Dividend
The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, May 7th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, April 30th will be given a $0.21 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, April 30th. This represents a $0.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.37%. West Pharmaceutical Services's payout ratio is currently 12.56%.
Analyst Ratings Changes
A number of research firms have commented on WST. KeyCorp reduced their target price on West Pharmaceutical Services from $470.00 to $325.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Friday, February 14th. Wolfe Research began coverage on West Pharmaceutical Services in a research report on Friday, December 13th. They issued a "peer perform" rating for the company. Evercore ISI initiated coverage on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in a report on Tuesday. They set an "outperform" rating and a $275.00 price target on the stock. 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 target for the company. Finally, StockNews.com cut shares of West Pharmaceutical Services from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Thursday, February 27th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $332.50.
Get Our Latest Report on WST
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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