Everett Harris & Co. CA Sells 100 Shares of West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST)

Everett Harris & Co. CA cut its stake in West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST) by 3.0% in the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 3,257 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after selling 100 shares during the period. Everett Harris & Co. CA’s holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services were worth $1,067,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Baron Wealth Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 1.9% in the fourth quarter. Baron Wealth Management LLC now owns 1,926 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $631,000 after buying an additional 35 shares during the period. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC lifted its position in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 18.9% in the 4th quarter. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC now owns 239 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $78,000 after acquiring an additional 38 shares during the period. Covestor Ltd grew its holdings in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 14.3% during the 3rd quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 320 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $96,000 after purchasing an additional 40 shares in the last quarter. KBC Group NV increased its position in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 0.4% during the fourth quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 9,980 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $3,269,000 after purchasing an additional 42 shares during the period. Finally, UMB Bank n.a. raised its stake in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 1.2% in the third quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 3,941 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $1,183,000 after purchasing an additional 47 shares in the last quarter. 93.90% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

West Pharmaceutical Services Trading Down 0.6 %

Shares of WST opened at $341.88 on Friday. 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 market cap of $24.76 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 50.72, a PEG ratio of 19.71 and a beta of 1.00. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $331.42 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $314.23. West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. has a 52-week low of $265.00 and a 52-week high of $413.70.

West Pharmaceutical Services Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, February 11th. Investors of record on Friday, February 7th will be given a dividend of $0.21 per share. 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%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts have weighed in on WST shares. StockNews.com upgraded shares of West Pharmaceutical Services from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday. UBS Group upgraded shares of 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 research report on Thursday, December 12th. Wolfe Research assumed coverage on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in a research report on Friday, December 13th. They issued a “peer perform” rating for the company. Citigroup assumed coverage on West Pharmaceutical Services in a report on Wednesday, January 8th. They set a “buy” rating and a $400.00 price objective on the stock. Finally, Bank of America increased their target price on West Pharmaceutical Services from $350.00 to $355.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, December 13th. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and six have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, West Pharmaceutical Services has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target 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.