West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST) Shares Sold by Bell Bank

Bell Bank reduced its position in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST) by 5.8% in the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm owned 3,724 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after selling 231 shares during the period. Bell Bank’s holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services were worth $1,220,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of WST. Retirement Wealth Solutions LLC acquired a new position in West Pharmaceutical Services during the fourth quarter worth about $34,000. Centricity Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in the 4th quarter worth approximately $35,000. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC lifted its stake in West Pharmaceutical Services by 57.1% during the fourth quarter. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC now owns 110 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $38,000 after purchasing an additional 40 shares during the last quarter. Brooklyn Investment Group bought a new stake in West Pharmaceutical Services during the third quarter worth approximately $41,000. Finally, MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB grew its position in West Pharmaceutical Services by 60.8% in the fourth quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB now owns 209 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $68,000 after buying an additional 79 shares during the last quarter. 93.90% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

West Pharmaceutical Services Price Performance

Shares of WST opened at $210.72 on Friday. The business’s 50-day moving average is $316.29 and its 200-day moving average is $310.57. West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $197.01 and a fifty-two week high of $400.88. The company has a market capitalization of $15.24 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 31.50, a P/E/G ratio of 6.74 and a beta of 1.01. 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 (NYSE:WST) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 13th. The medical instruments supplier reported $1.82 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.75 by $0.07. The company had revenue of $748.80 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $739.59 million. West Pharmaceutical Services had a return on equity of 18.60% and a net margin of 17.03%. Equities research analysts expect that West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. will post 6.62 EPS for the current fiscal year.

West Pharmaceutical Services Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, May 7th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, April 30th 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 0.40%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, April 30th. West Pharmaceutical Services’s dividend payout ratio is 12.56%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts have recently commented on the company. UBS Group upgraded West Pharmaceutical Services from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and increased their price objective for the company from $350.00 to $390.00 in a research report on Thursday, December 12th. KeyCorp decreased their price target on West Pharmaceutical Services from $470.00 to $325.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, February 14th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised West Pharmaceutical Services from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $250.00 price target on the stock in a research note on Friday, February 14th. Wolfe Research initiated coverage on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in a report on Friday, December 13th. They issued a “peer perform” rating for the company. Finally, Citigroup assumed coverage on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in a report on Wednesday, January 8th. They set a “buy” rating and a $400.00 price target on the stock. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, West Pharmaceutical Services has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $344.00.

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.