West Pharmaceutical Services (NYSE:WST) Rating Increased to Strong-Buy at Stephens

West Pharmaceutical Services (NYSE:WST - Get Free Report) was upgraded by Stephens to a "strong-buy" rating in a report issued on Monday,Zacks.com reports.

WST has been the subject of several other research reports. Evercore ISI assumed 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 for the company. Citigroup initiated coverage on West Pharmaceutical Services in a research report on Wednesday, January 8th. They set a "buy" rating and a $400.00 target price for the company. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upgraded 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. StockNews.com cut West Pharmaceutical Services from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Thursday, February 27th. Finally, KeyCorp dropped their target price on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services from $470.00 to $325.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, February 14th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, six have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $332.50.

West Pharmaceutical Services Trading Up 4.4 %

Shares of WST opened at $214.85 on Monday. The stock's 50-day moving average price is $217.85 and its 200 day moving average price is $285.32. The company has a quick ratio of 2.23, a current ratio of 2.79 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.08. The firm has a market capitalization of $15.53 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 32.11, a P/E/G ratio of 6.74 and a beta of 1.22. West Pharmaceutical Services has a 12-month low of $187.43 and a 12-month high of $394.42.

West Pharmaceutical Services (NYSE:WST - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, February 13th. The medical instruments supplier reported $1.82 EPS 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 analyst estimates of $739.59 million. As a group, research analysts predict that West Pharmaceutical Services will post 6.62 earnings per share for the current year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On West Pharmaceutical Services

A number of large investors have recently modified their holdings of WST. Whipplewood Advisors LLC bought a new position in West Pharmaceutical Services in the 4th quarter worth approximately $25,000. Retirement Wealth Solutions LLC bought a new stake in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services during the fourth quarter worth $34,000. Centricity Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services during the fourth quarter valued at $35,000. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC boosted its holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services by 57.1% in the fourth 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 last quarter. Finally, IFP Advisors Inc increased its position in West Pharmaceutical Services by 150.9% in the fourth quarter. IFP Advisors Inc now owns 133 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $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.

About West Pharmaceutical Services

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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