E Fund Management Co. Ltd. Has $391,000 Stock Holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST)

E Fund Management Co. Ltd. raised its stake in West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST) by 66.7% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 1,195 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after purchasing an additional 478 shares during the period. E Fund Management Co. Ltd.’s holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services were worth $391,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Candriam S.C.A. raised its stake in West Pharmaceutical Services by 13.4% during the 4th quarter. Candriam S.C.A. now owns 6,975 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $2,285,000 after buying an additional 823 shares during the period. Vestmark Advisory Solutions Inc. increased its holdings in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 15.0% during the fourth quarter. Vestmark Advisory Solutions Inc. now owns 1,638 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $537,000 after acquiring an additional 214 shares in the last quarter. Lindbrook Capital LLC raised its position in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 41.9% during the fourth quarter. Lindbrook Capital LLC now owns 220 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $72,000 after purchasing an additional 65 shares during the period. Raymond James Financial Inc. bought a new position in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in the 4th quarter worth $72,646,000. Finally, Arizona State Retirement System lifted its holdings in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 1.0% in the 4th quarter. Arizona State Retirement System now owns 21,071 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $6,902,000 after purchasing an additional 201 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 93.90% of the company’s stock.

West Pharmaceutical Services Trading Down 0.5 %

NYSE:WST opened at $231.55 on Friday. West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. has a 52 week low of $197.01 and a 52 week high of $400.88. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $295.38 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $305.85. The firm has a market cap of $16.74 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 34.61, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 6.74 and a beta of 1.09. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.08, a quick ratio of 2.23 and a current ratio of 2.79.

West Pharmaceutical Services (NYSE:WST) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 13th. The medical instruments supplier reported $1.82 EPS for the quarter, beating 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 during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $739.59 million. On average, equities analysts expect that West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. will post 6.62 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

West Pharmaceutical Services Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, May 7th. Investors 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 dividend yield of 0.36%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, April 30th. West Pharmaceutical Services’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 12.56%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts have weighed in on WST shares. UBS Group upgraded shares of West Pharmaceutical Services from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and upped their price objective for the stock from $350.00 to $390.00 in a 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 on the stock. Citigroup assumed coverage on West Pharmaceutical Services in a research note on Wednesday, January 8th. They set a “buy” rating and a $400.00 price target for the company. KeyCorp lowered their price objective on West Pharmaceutical Services from $470.00 to $325.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, February 14th. Finally, Bank of America lifted their target price on West Pharmaceutical Services from $350.00 to $355.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, December 13th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus 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.