West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST) Stock Holdings Lessened by Keybank National Association OH

Keybank National Association OH lessened its holdings in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST) by 21.8% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 20,953 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after selling 5,856 shares during the period. Keybank National Association OH’s holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services were worth $6,863,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of WST. Asset Management One Co. Ltd. grew its holdings in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 43.5% during the third quarter. Asset Management One Co. Ltd. now owns 42,048 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $12,621,000 after purchasing an additional 12,745 shares during the last quarter. Impax Asset Management Group plc grew its stake in West Pharmaceutical Services by 56.1% during the 3rd quarter. Impax Asset Management Group plc now owns 3,067 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $921,000 after buying an additional 1,102 shares during the last quarter. RTD Financial Advisors Inc. increased its position in West Pharmaceutical Services by 120.2% in the third quarter. RTD Financial Advisors Inc. now owns 1,524 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $457,000 after buying an additional 832 shares during the period. Principal Financial Group Inc. lifted its stake in West Pharmaceutical Services by 2.3% in the third quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 91,756 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $27,541,000 after buying an additional 2,037 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Kornitzer Capital Management Inc. KS lifted its stake in West Pharmaceutical Services by 1.6% in the third quarter. Kornitzer Capital Management Inc. KS now owns 21,334 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $6,404,000 after buying an additional 334 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 93.90% of the company’s stock.

West Pharmaceutical Services Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:WST opened at $230.56 on Thursday. The stock has a market cap of $16.67 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 34.46, a PEG ratio of 6.74 and a beta of 1.09. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.08, a current ratio of 2.79 and a quick ratio of 2.23. West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. has a 12 month low of $197.01 and a 12 month high of $400.88. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $301.48 and its 200 day moving average price is $307.34.

West Pharmaceutical Services (NYSE:WST) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 13th. The medical instruments supplier reported $1.82 EPS for the quarter, topping 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 company had revenue of $748.80 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $739.59 million. Equities research analysts anticipate that West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. will post 6.62 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

West Pharmaceutical Services Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, May 7th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, April 30th will be issued a $0.21 dividend. This represents a $0.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.36%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, April 30th. West Pharmaceutical Services’s payout ratio is 12.56%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms recently weighed in on WST. 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 report on Friday, December 13th. Citigroup initiated coverage on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in a research note on Wednesday, January 8th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $400.00 price target on the stock. StockNews.com downgraded West Pharmaceutical Services from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 27th. UBS Group upgraded West Pharmaceutical Services from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and raised their target price for the company from $350.00 to $390.00 in a research report on Thursday, December 12th. Finally, Wolfe Research assumed coverage on West Pharmaceutical Services in a research note on Friday, December 13th. They set a “peer perform” rating on the stock. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $344.00.

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.