West Pharmaceutical Services (NYSE:WST) Lowered to "Hold" Rating by StockNews.com

West Pharmaceutical Services (NYSE:WST - Get Free Report) was downgraded by analysts at StockNews.com from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a note issued to investors on Wednesday.

A number of other research firms have also issued reports on WST. Citigroup initiated coverage on West Pharmaceutical Services in a report on Wednesday, January 8th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $400.00 target price for the company. UBS Group upgraded West Pharmaceutical Services from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and lifted their target price for the company from $350.00 to $390.00 in a report on Thursday, December 12th. Wolfe Research assumed coverage on West Pharmaceutical Services in a report on Friday, December 13th. They issued a "peer perform" rating for the company. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised West Pharmaceutical Services from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $250.00 price target for the company in a report on Friday, February 14th. Finally, KeyCorp decreased their price target on West Pharmaceutical Services from $470.00 to $325.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Friday, February 14th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $344.00.

West Pharmaceutical Services Trading Up 3.5 %

Shares of NYSE WST traded up $7.07 during trading on Wednesday, reaching $210.72. The stock had a trading volume of 1,882,015 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,170,810. West Pharmaceutical Services has a fifty-two week low of $197.01 and a fifty-two week high of $400.88. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.08, a quick ratio of 2.23 and a current ratio of 2.79. The business's 50-day moving average price is $316.29 and its 200-day moving average price is $310.57. The company has a market cap of $15.24 billion, a P/E ratio of 31.50, a PEG ratio of 6.74 and a beta of 1.01.

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 earnings per share 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 business had revenue of $748.80 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $739.59 million. On average, equities research analysts predict that West Pharmaceutical Services will post 6.62 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Trading of West Pharmaceutical Services

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Whipplewood Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in the 4th quarter valued at about $25,000. Northwest Investment Counselors LLC acquired a new position in West Pharmaceutical Services in the 3rd quarter valued at about $30,000. Retirement Wealth Solutions LLC acquired a new position in West Pharmaceutical Services in the 4th quarter valued at about $34,000. Centricity Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in West Pharmaceutical Services in the 4th quarter valued at about $35,000. Finally, Cornerstone Planning Group LLC increased its position 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 during the period. 93.90% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.