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Asset Management One Co. Ltd. lifted its stake in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST – Free Report) by 27.3% in the first quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund owned 59,665 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after acquiring an additional 12,805 shares during the quarter. Asset Management One Co. Ltd.’s holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services were worth $13,358,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.
A number of other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in WST. Norges Bank bought a new stake in West Pharmaceutical Services during the fourth quarter worth about $290,604,000. William Blair Investment Management LLC grew its position in West Pharmaceutical Services by 731.8% during the fourth quarter. William Blair Investment Management LLC now owns 640,735 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $209,879,000 after acquiring an additional 563,705 shares during the last quarter. FMR LLC grew its position in West Pharmaceutical Services by 83.1% during the fourth quarter. FMR LLC now owns 1,090,603 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $357,238,000 after acquiring an additional 494,828 shares during the last quarter. D. E. Shaw & Co. Inc. raised its stake in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 5,277.7% during the fourth quarter. D. E. Shaw & Co. Inc. now owns 425,915 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $139,513,000 after acquiring an additional 417,995 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Brown Advisory Inc. boosted its stake in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 11.7% in the 4th quarter. Brown Advisory Inc. now owns 2,552,036 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $835,945,000 after purchasing an additional 266,488 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 93.90% of the company’s stock.
West Pharmaceutical Services Price Performance
WST opened at $219.59 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.08, a quick ratio of 2.03 and a current ratio of 2.77. The stock has a market capitalization of $15.78 billion, a PE ratio of 34.47, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 5.44 and a beta of 1.09. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $214.63 and its 200-day moving average price is $254.19. West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. has a 52-week low of $187.43 and a 52-week high of $352.33.
West Pharmaceutical Services (NYSE:WST – Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 24th. The medical instruments supplier reported $1.45 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.22 by $0.23. West Pharmaceutical Services had a net margin of 16.13% and a return on equity of 18.23%. The business had revenue of $698.00 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $685.24 million. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $1.56 EPS. The company’s quarterly revenue was up .4% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities research analysts predict that West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. will post 6.62 EPS for the current year.
West Pharmaceutical Services Announces Dividend
The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, August 6th. Investors of record on Wednesday, July 30th will be paid a $0.21 dividend. This represents a $0.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.38%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, July 30th. West Pharmaceutical Services’s payout ratio is currently 13.19%.
Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades
WST has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. Evercore ISI started coverage on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in a research report on Tuesday, March 18th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $275.00 target price on the stock. Wall Street Zen cut West Pharmaceutical Services from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, February 27th. Stephens upgraded West Pharmaceutical Services to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Monday, April 21st. Citigroup reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in a research report on Thursday, May 22nd. Finally, Barclays initiated coverage on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in a report on Tuesday. They issued an “equal weight” rating and a $245.00 target price on the stock. Three 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 company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $320.00.
Check Out Our Latest Stock Analysis on WST
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.
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