Capital Research Global Investors Boosts Holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST)

Capital Research Global Investors grew its stake in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST - Free Report) by 39.3% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 223,210 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock after buying an additional 63,017 shares during the period. Capital Research Global Investors owned 0.31% of West Pharmaceutical Services worth $73,115,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Whipplewood Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services during the 4th quarter worth approximately $25,000. Retirement Wealth Solutions LLC purchased a new stake in West Pharmaceutical Services during the fourth quarter valued at $34,000. Centricity Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in West Pharmaceutical Services during the fourth quarter valued at $35,000. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC grew its stake 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 worth $38,000 after buying an additional 40 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Private Trust Co. NA increased its holdings in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 138.6% in the 4th quarter. Private Trust Co. NA now owns 136 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $45,000 after buying an additional 79 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 93.90% of the company's stock.

West Pharmaceutical Services Stock Performance

WST stock traded down $7.74 during trading on Thursday, reaching $210.44. The company had a trading volume of 2,545,598 shares, compared to its average volume of 718,438. 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 twelve month low of $187.43 and a twelve month high of $390.33. The company has a market cap of $15.21 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 31.46, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 6.74 and a beta of 1.22. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $217.82 and a 200-day simple moving average of $284.30.

West Pharmaceutical Services (NYSE:WST - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 24th. The medical instruments supplier reported $1.45 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.30 by $0.15. West Pharmaceutical Services had a net margin of 17.03% and a return on equity of 18.60%. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. will post 6.62 earnings per share for the current year.

West Pharmaceutical Services Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, August 6th. Investors of record on Wednesday, July 30th will be given a $0.21 dividend. This represents a $0.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.40%. West Pharmaceutical Services's dividend payout ratio is currently 12.56%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

WST has been the subject of several recent research reports. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upgraded West Pharmaceutical Services from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $250.00 price target for the company in a research report on Friday, February 14th. KeyCorp dropped their price objective on West Pharmaceutical Services from $470.00 to $325.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, February 14th. StockNews.com downgraded shares of West Pharmaceutical Services from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Thursday, February 27th. Citigroup assumed coverage on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in a report on Wednesday, January 8th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $400.00 target price for the company. Finally, Evercore ISI began coverage on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in a report on Tuesday, March 18th. They issued an "outperform" rating and a $275.00 price target on the stock. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, six have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, West Pharmaceutical Services currently has a consensus 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.