Tredje AP fonden trimmed its position in West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST - Free Report) by 50.0% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 5,756 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock after selling 5,756 shares during the period. Tredje AP fonden's holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services were worth $1,885,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).
Several other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Whipplewood Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in West Pharmaceutical Services in the fourth quarter valued at $25,000. Retirement Wealth Solutions LLC purchased a new stake in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services during the 4th quarter worth about $34,000. Centricity Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services during the 4th quarter worth about $35,000. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC boosted 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 worth $38,000 after acquiring an additional 40 shares in the last quarter. Finally, IFP Advisors Inc boosted its stake in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 150.9% during the 4th quarter. IFP Advisors Inc now owns 133 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $45,000 after acquiring an additional 80 shares in the last quarter. 93.90% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.
Analyst Ratings Changes
Several equities research analysts have recently issued reports on WST shares. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised shares of West Pharmaceutical Services from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $250.00 target price on the stock in a research note on Friday, February 14th. KeyCorp lowered their target price 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. Bank of America increased their target price on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services from $350.00 to $355.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, December 13th. Citigroup initiated 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 on the stock. Finally, StockNews.com lowered shares of West Pharmaceutical Services from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Thursday, February 27th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have given a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $332.50.
Read Our Latest Stock Analysis on West Pharmaceutical Services
West Pharmaceutical Services Price Performance
WST stock traded down $4.34 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, reaching $230.14. The company's stock had a trading volume of 818,285 shares, compared to its average volume of 623,702. The stock has a market cap of $16.64 billion, a PE ratio of 34.40, a P/E/G ratio of 6.74 and a beta of 1.09. The company has a current ratio of 2.79, a quick ratio of 2.23 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.08. West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $197.01 and a fifty-two week high of $400.88. The company's 50 day moving average is $281.16 and its two-hundred day moving average is $302.10.
West Pharmaceutical Services (NYSE:WST - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 13th. The medical instruments supplier reported $1.82 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.75 by $0.07. The company had revenue of $748.80 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $739.59 million. West Pharmaceutical Services had a net margin of 17.03% and a return on equity of 18.60%. Equities research analysts expect that West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. will post 6.62 EPS for the current year.
West Pharmaceutical Services Dividend Announcement
The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, May 7th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, April 30th will be issued a $0.21 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, April 30th. This represents a $0.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.37%. West Pharmaceutical Services's payout ratio is 12.56%.
West Pharmaceutical Services Company Profile
(
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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