UniSuper Management Pty Ltd lifted its holdings in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST - Free Report) by 18.2% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 8,159 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock after purchasing an additional 1,259 shares during the quarter. UniSuper Management Pty Ltd's holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services were worth $2,673,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.
A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Whipplewood Advisors LLC acquired a new position in West Pharmaceutical Services in the 4th quarter valued at $25,000. Retirement Wealth Solutions LLC bought a new stake in West Pharmaceutical Services during the fourth quarter worth $34,000. Centricity Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in West Pharmaceutical Services during the fourth quarter worth $35,000. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC boosted its holdings in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 57.1% in the 4th quarter. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC now owns 110 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $38,000 after purchasing an additional 40 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Brooklyn Investment Group bought a new position in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in the 3rd quarter valued at $41,000. 93.90% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.
West Pharmaceutical Services Stock Down 1.9 %
West Pharmaceutical Services stock traded down $4.24 during midday trading on Thursday, reaching $217.26. The stock had a trading volume of 157,290 shares, compared to its average volume of 947,784. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $256.73 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $296.18. The company has a market capitalization of $15.71 billion, a P/E ratio of 32.48, a PEG 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 12 month low of $197.01 and a 12 month high of $396.75.
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 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 firm had revenue of $748.80 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $739.59 million. As a group, equities analysts expect that West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. will post 6.62 EPS for the current fiscal year.
West Pharmaceutical Services Announces Dividend
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 paid a $0.21 dividend. This represents a $0.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.39%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, April 30th. West Pharmaceutical Services's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 12.56%.
Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades
Several research firms recently weighed in on WST. Citigroup began coverage on 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. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upgraded shares of West Pharmaceutical Services from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $250.00 price objective for the company in a research report on Friday, February 14th. UBS Group raised West Pharmaceutical Services from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and raised their price objective for the company from $350.00 to $390.00 in a report on Thursday, December 12th. StockNews.com lowered West Pharmaceutical Services from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Thursday, February 27th. Finally, Wolfe Research initiated coverage on West Pharmaceutical Services in a research report on Friday, December 13th. They issued a "peer perform" rating for the company. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $332.50.
Read Our Latest Research Report on West Pharmaceutical Services
West Pharmaceutical Services 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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