National Bank of Canada FI Has $11.30 Million Stock Holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST)

National Bank of Canada FI trimmed its stake in West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST - Free Report) by 7.4% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 34,499 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock after selling 2,772 shares during the period. National Bank of Canada FI's holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services were worth $11,301,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in WST. Whipplewood Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services during the 4th quarter worth $25,000. Retirement Wealth Solutions LLC bought a new position in West Pharmaceutical Services during the fourth quarter worth $34,000. Centricity Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in West Pharmaceutical Services in the 4th quarter worth $35,000. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC raised its holdings in 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 acquiring an additional 40 shares in the last quarter. Finally, IFP Advisors Inc increased its position in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 150.9% during the fourth quarter. IFP Advisors Inc now owns 133 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $45,000 after purchasing an additional 80 shares during the period. 93.90% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

West Pharmaceutical Services Stock Down 3.5 %

NYSE WST traded down $7.18 on Thursday, reaching $196.36. The company had a trading volume of 253,099 shares, compared to its average volume of 961,483. The firm has a market capitalization of $14.20 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 29.35, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 6.74 and a beta of 1.22. The company's fifty day moving average is $236.88 and its 200-day moving average is $291.23. 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, Inc. has a 1-year low of $187.43 and a 1-year high of $394.42.

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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. 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 return on equity of 18.60% and a net margin of 17.03%. On average, research analysts forecast that West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. will post 6.62 earnings per share for the current fiscal 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 paid a $0.21 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, April 30th. This represents a $0.84 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.43%. West Pharmaceutical Services's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 12.56%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts have issued reports on WST shares. Bank of America lifted 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. Citigroup initiated coverage on West Pharmaceutical Services in a report on Wednesday, January 8th. They set a "buy" rating and a $400.00 price objective for the company. Wolfe Research started coverage on West Pharmaceutical Services in a research note on Friday, December 13th. They issued a "peer perform" rating on the stock. UBS Group upgraded West Pharmaceutical Services from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and boosted their target price for the stock from $350.00 to $390.00 in a research report on Thursday, December 12th. Finally, Evercore ISI began coverage on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in a research report on Tuesday, March 18th. They issued an "outperform" rating and a $275.00 price target on the stock. Two investment 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 currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $332.50.

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.