Wolfe Research started coverage on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services (NYSE:WST - Free Report) in a research note released on Friday morning, Marketbeat.com reports. The brokerage issued a peer perform rating on the medical instruments supplier's stock.
Separately, UBS Group raised West Pharmaceutical Services from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and upped their price target for the company from $350.00 to $390.00 in a report on Thursday. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $437.75.
Read Our Latest Report on WST
West Pharmaceutical Services Trading Down 0.4 %
Shares of NYSE WST traded down $1.38 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $330.24. 516,108 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 562,879. The stock has a market capitalization of $23.92 billion, a P/E ratio of 48.80, a PEG ratio of 24.14 and a beta of 1.01. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.07, a quick ratio of 2.23 and a current ratio of 3.00. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $312.06 and a 200 day simple moving average of $311.85. West Pharmaceutical Services has a twelve month low of $265.00 and a twelve month high of $413.70.
West Pharmaceutical Services (NYSE:WST - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 24th. The medical instruments supplier reported $1.85 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.50 by $0.35. West Pharmaceutical Services had a net margin of 17.37% and a return on equity of 18.41%. The business had revenue of $746.90 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $709.62 million. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $2.16 EPS. The business's revenue was down .1% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities analysts expect that West Pharmaceutical Services will post 6.64 earnings per share for the current year.
West Pharmaceutical Services Increases Dividend
The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, November 20th. Investors of record on Wednesday, November 13th were paid a dividend of $0.21 per share. This represents a $0.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.25%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, November 13th. This is an increase from West Pharmaceutical Services's previous quarterly dividend of $0.20. West Pharmaceutical Services's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 12.46%.
Insider Buying and Selling at West Pharmaceutical Services
In other news, VP Charles Witherspoon sold 703 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, October 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $310.40, for a total value of $218,211.20. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now directly owns 1,253 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $388,931.20. This represents a 35.94 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. 0.53% of the stock is owned by company insiders.
Institutional Investors Weigh In On West Pharmaceutical Services
Several large investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Northwest Investment Counselors LLC acquired a new stake in West Pharmaceutical Services in the third quarter valued at about $30,000. Crewe Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 322.7% in the 2nd quarter. Crewe Advisors LLC now owns 93 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $31,000 after buying an additional 71 shares during the period. Brooklyn Investment Group purchased a new stake in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in the third quarter valued at approximately $41,000. Quest Partners LLC grew its holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services by 5,633.3% during the second quarter. Quest Partners LLC now owns 172 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $57,000 after acquiring an additional 169 shares during the period. Finally, Blue Trust Inc. raised its position in West Pharmaceutical Services by 332.1% in the second quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 242 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $80,000 after acquiring an additional 186 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 93.90% of the company's stock.
About West Pharmaceutical Services
(
Get Free Report)
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.
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