Cibc World Markets Corp Acquires 1,570 Shares of West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST)

Cibc World Markets Corp raised its position in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST - Free Report) by 15.9% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 11,457 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock after purchasing an additional 1,570 shares during the period. Cibc World Markets Corp's holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services were worth $3,753,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in WST. Van ECK Associates Corp raised its holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services by 5,074.0% during the fourth quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 689,493 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $225,851,000 after buying an additional 676,167 shares in the last quarter. Seilern Investment Management Ltd acquired a new position in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services during the 4th quarter valued at about $145,379,000. FMR LLC lifted its holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services by 199.4% in the 3rd quarter. FMR LLC now owns 595,775 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $178,828,000 after purchasing an additional 396,780 shares during the last quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. bought a new stake in West Pharmaceutical Services during the fourth quarter worth approximately $72,646,000. Finally, Bank of New York Mellon Corp grew its holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services by 6.3% during the fourth quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 3,449,811 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $1,130,020,000 after purchasing an additional 203,198 shares during the last quarter. 93.90% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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West Pharmaceutical Services Price Performance

NYSE WST traded down $6.11 during trading on Tuesday, reaching $225.79. 877,962 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 635,549. West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. has a 1-year low of $197.01 and a 1-year high of $397.72. The company has a market cap of $16.32 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 33.75, a P/E/G ratio of 6.74 and a beta of 1.09. The stock's 50 day moving average price is $272.64 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $299.96. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.08, a quick ratio of 2.23 and a current ratio of 2.79.

West Pharmaceutical Services (NYSE:WST - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results 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 business had revenue of $748.80 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $739.59 million. As a group, analysts anticipate that West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. will post 6.62 EPS for the current year.

West Pharmaceutical Services Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, May 7th. Investors of record on Wednesday, April 30th will be issued a dividend of $0.21 per share. This represents a $0.84 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.37%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, April 30th. West Pharmaceutical Services's dividend payout ratio is currently 12.56%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms have issued reports on WST. Evercore ISI started coverage on West Pharmaceutical Services in a report on Tuesday, March 18th. They issued an "outperform" rating and a $275.00 target price on the stock. Citigroup started coverage on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in a research report on Wednesday, January 8th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $400.00 price target on the stock. KeyCorp cut their price objective on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services from $470.00 to $325.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, February 14th. Wolfe Research started coverage on West Pharmaceutical Services in a research report on Friday, December 13th. They set a "peer perform" rating on the stock. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upgraded West Pharmaceutical Services from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $250.00 price target on the stock in a research note on Friday, February 14th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, West Pharmaceutical Services currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $332.50.

West Pharmaceutical Services Company 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.