Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd. Buys 9,443 Shares of West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST)

Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd. grew its position in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST - Free Report) by 7.2% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 139,788 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock after acquiring an additional 9,443 shares during the quarter. Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd. owned 0.19% of West Pharmaceutical Services worth $45,789,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Whipplewood Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Retirement Wealth Solutions LLC bought a new position in West Pharmaceutical Services in the 4th quarter valued at $34,000. Centricity Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services during the 4th quarter valued at $35,000. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC raised 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 purchasing an additional 40 shares during the period. Finally, Brooklyn Investment Group purchased a new position in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in the 3rd quarter worth about $41,000. 93.90% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages have commented on WST. StockNews.com lowered shares of West Pharmaceutical Services from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Thursday, February 27th. Bank of America increased their price objective on West Pharmaceutical Services from $350.00 to $355.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, December 13th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised West Pharmaceutical Services from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $250.00 price target on the stock in a research report on Friday, February 14th. Citigroup initiated coverage on West Pharmaceutical Services in a report on Wednesday, January 8th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $400.00 price objective for the company. Finally, UBS Group raised shares of West Pharmaceutical Services from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and upped their price objective for the company from $350.00 to $390.00 in a report on Thursday, December 12th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $332.50.

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West Pharmaceutical Services Price Performance

WST stock traded up $1.74 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, reaching $221.90. 213,517 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 948,266. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $259.25 and a 200-day moving average price of $296.71. West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. has a 52-week low of $197.01 and a 52-week high of $396.75. The company has a market capitalization of $16.04 billion, a P/E ratio of 33.17, a P/E/G ratio of 6.74 and a beta of 1.09. 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 (NYSE:WST - Get Free Report) last issued 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 net margin of 17.03% and a return on equity of 18.60%. The company had revenue of $748.80 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $739.59 million. As a group, analysts anticipate that West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. will post 6.62 earnings per share for the current year.

West Pharmaceutical Services Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, May 7th. Investors of record on Wednesday, April 30th will be given a dividend of $0.21 per share. This represents a $0.84 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.38%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, April 30th. West Pharmaceutical Services's payout ratio is 12.56%.

West Pharmaceutical Services 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.