Mediolanum International Funds Ltd Sells 581 Shares of West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST)

Mediolanum International Funds Ltd lowered its position in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST) by 9.3% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 5,680 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after selling 581 shares during the quarter. Mediolanum International Funds Ltd’s holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services were worth $1,863,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of WST. Seilern Investment Management Ltd bought a new stake in West Pharmaceutical Services during the fourth quarter valued at $145,379,000. FMR LLC boosted its position in West Pharmaceutical Services by 199.4% during the third quarter. FMR LLC now owns 595,775 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $178,828,000 after acquiring an additional 396,780 shares during the last quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC boosted its position in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 21.8% during the 3rd quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 683,350 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $205,114,000 after purchasing an additional 122,361 shares in the last quarter. Champlain Investment Partners LLC boosted its position in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 29.7% during the 3rd quarter. Champlain Investment Partners LLC now owns 444,000 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $133,271,000 after purchasing an additional 101,710 shares in the last quarter. Finally, DF Dent & Co. Inc. boosted its position in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 33.0% during the 3rd quarter. DF Dent & Co. Inc. now owns 397,152 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $119,209,000 after purchasing an additional 98,564 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 93.90% of the company’s stock.

West Pharmaceutical Services Trading Down 0.6 %

NYSE:WST opened at $341.88 on Monday. 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 firm has a market cap of $24.76 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 50.72, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 19.71 and a beta of 1.00. West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. has a 52 week low of $265.00 and a 52 week high of $413.70. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $331.42 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $314.03.

West Pharmaceutical Services Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, February 11th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 7th will be paid a $0.21 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 7th. This represents a $0.84 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.25%. West Pharmaceutical Services’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 12.46%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

WST has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. UBS Group raised shares of West Pharmaceutical Services from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and increased their price objective for the stock from $350.00 to $390.00 in a research report on Thursday, December 12th. Bank of America increased their price objective on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services from $350.00 to $355.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, December 13th. StockNews.com upgraded shares of West Pharmaceutical Services from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Friday. Citigroup started 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 on the stock. Finally, Wolfe Research started coverage on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in a report on Friday, December 13th. They issued a “peer perform” rating on the stock. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and six have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $430.20.

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.