US Bancorp DE Sells 3,220 Shares of West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST)

US Bancorp DE lowered its holdings in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST - Free Report) by 18.0% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 14,641 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock after selling 3,220 shares during the period. US Bancorp DE's holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services were worth $4,796,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in WST. Baron Wealth Management LLC grew its stake in West Pharmaceutical Services by 1.9% in the fourth quarter. Baron Wealth Management LLC now owns 1,926 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $631,000 after acquiring an additional 35 shares during the period. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC lifted its holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services by 18.9% during the fourth quarter. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC now owns 239 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $78,000 after acquiring an additional 38 shares during the period. Lake Street Advisors Group LLC lifted its holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services by 5.8% during the fourth quarter. Lake Street Advisors Group LLC now owns 711 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $233,000 after acquiring an additional 39 shares during the period. Covestor Ltd lifted its holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services by 14.3% during the third quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 320 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $96,000 after acquiring an additional 40 shares during the period. Finally, Cornerstone Planning Group LLC lifted its holdings in 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 worth $38,000 after acquiring an additional 40 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 93.90% of the company's stock.

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West Pharmaceutical Services Stock Performance

Shares of WST traded down $1.21 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $231.55. The stock had a trading volume of 892,220 shares, compared to its average volume of 973,264. The firm has a market cap of $16.74 billion, a P/E ratio of 34.61, a PEG ratio of 6.74 and a beta of 1.09. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $295.38 and a 200-day moving average price of $305.85. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.08, a current ratio of 2.79 and a quick ratio of 2.23. West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. has a 52 week low of $197.01 and a 52 week high of $400.88.

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 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates 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 company had revenue of $748.80 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $739.59 million. On average, equities research analysts expect that West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. will post 6.62 EPS for the current year.

West Pharmaceutical Services Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, May 7th. Stockholders 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 0.36%. West Pharmaceutical Services's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 12.56%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts recently commented on the company. KeyCorp dropped their price target on West Pharmaceutical Services from $470.00 to $325.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, February 14th. Wolfe Research assumed coverage on West Pharmaceutical Services in a report on Friday, December 13th. They set a "peer perform" rating on the stock. Bank of America lifted their price target on West Pharmaceutical Services from $350.00 to $355.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, December 13th. StockNews.com lowered West Pharmaceutical Services from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Thursday, February 27th. Finally, UBS Group upgraded West Pharmaceutical Services from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and boosted their target price for the company from $350.00 to $390.00 in a research note on Thursday, December 12th. Two equities 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, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $344.00.

About West Pharmaceutical Services

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.