Yousif Capital Management LLC Sells 2,950 Shares of West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST)

Yousif Capital Management LLC lowered its position in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST) by 8.8% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 30,413 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after selling 2,950 shares during the period. Yousif Capital Management LLC’s holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services were worth $9,962,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Northwest Investment Counselors LLC bought a new stake in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services during the third quarter worth about $30,000. Retirement Wealth Solutions LLC acquired a new stake in West Pharmaceutical Services during the 4th quarter worth approximately $34,000. Brooklyn Investment Group bought a new stake in West Pharmaceutical Services during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $41,000. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB increased its position in West Pharmaceutical Services by 60.8% in the 4th quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB now owns 209 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $68,000 after acquiring an additional 79 shares during the period. Finally, Hilltop National Bank raised its stake in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 47.9% during the fourth quarter. Hilltop National Bank now owns 216 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $71,000 after acquiring an additional 70 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 93.90% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts recently weighed in on the stock. StockNews.com raised shares of West Pharmaceutical Services from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Citigroup assumed coverage on West Pharmaceutical Services in a research report on Wednesday, January 8th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $400.00 price target on the stock. Bank of America raised their price objective on West Pharmaceutical Services from $350.00 to $355.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, December 13th. Wolfe Research started coverage on West Pharmaceutical Services in a report on Friday, December 13th. They issued a “peer perform” rating on the stock. Finally, UBS Group upgraded shares of West Pharmaceutical Services from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and raised their price target for the stock from $350.00 to $390.00 in a report on Thursday, December 12th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and six have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $430.20.

West Pharmaceutical Services Stock Up 1.4 %

Shares of NYSE:WST opened at $335.54 on Thursday. West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. has a 1 year low of $265.00 and a 1 year high of $413.70. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.07, a current ratio of 3.00 and a quick ratio of 2.23. The business’s 50-day moving average is $332.25 and its 200-day moving average is $314.42. The company has a market capitalization of $24.30 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 49.78, a P/E/G ratio of 19.82 and a beta of 1.01.

West Pharmaceutical Services Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, February 11th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 7th will be issued a dividend of $0.21 per share. This represents a $0.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.25%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 7th. West Pharmaceutical Services’s payout ratio is 12.46%.

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.