California State Teachers Retirement System Trims Holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST)

California State Teachers Retirement System trimmed its holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST – Get Rating) by 1.2% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 121,992 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after selling 1,537 shares during the quarter. California State Teachers Retirement System owned approximately 0.16% of West Pharmaceutical Services worth $30,020,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in WST. Guardian Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new position in West Pharmaceutical Services in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $29,000. Householder Group Estate & Retirement Specialist LLC bought a new position in West Pharmaceutical Services in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $36,000. Private Trust Co. NA boosted its stake in West Pharmaceutical Services by 194.6% in the 3rd quarter. Private Trust Co. NA now owns 165 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $41,000 after purchasing an additional 109 shares during the period. BerganKDV Wealth Management LLC boosted its stake in West Pharmaceutical Services by 884.2% in the 3rd quarter. BerganKDV Wealth Management LLC now owns 187 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $46,000 after purchasing an additional 168 shares during the period. Finally, Standard Family Office LLC bought a new position in West Pharmaceutical Services in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $59,000. 91.51% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

West Pharmaceutical Services Stock Down 2.0 %

Shares of WST opened at $329.72 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $24.45 billion, a PE ratio of 42.71, a P/E/G ratio of 2.93 and a beta of 1.08. The business has a fifty day moving average of $287.51 and a 200 day moving average of $261.21. West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. has a 52-week low of $206.19 and a 52-week high of $424.00. The company has a quick ratio of 2.90, a current ratio of 3.70 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.08.

West Pharmaceutical Services (NYSE:WST – Get Rating) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 16th. The medical instruments supplier reported $1.77 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.39 by $0.38. The company had revenue of $708.70 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $657.16 million. West Pharmaceutical Services had a return on equity of 26.24% and a net margin of 20.30%. West Pharmaceutical Services’s revenue was down 3.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the company earned $2.04 earnings per share. On average, sell-side analysts expect that West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. will post 7.37 EPS for the current year.

West Pharmaceutical Services Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, May 3rd. Investors of record on Wednesday, April 26th will be given a $0.19 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, April 25th. This represents a $0.76 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.23%. West Pharmaceutical Services’s dividend payout ratio is presently 9.84%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other West Pharmaceutical Services news, CEO Eric Mark Green sold 44,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, March 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $322.35, for a total value of $14,183,400.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 85,705 shares in the company, valued at $27,627,006.75. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. 0.60% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms have weighed in on WST. UBS Group assumed coverage on West Pharmaceutical Services in a research note on Wednesday, November 30th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $250.00 price target for the company. StockNews.com assumed coverage on West Pharmaceutical Services in a research report on Thursday. They set a “hold” rating for the company. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft increased their target price on West Pharmaceutical Services from $250.00 to $290.00 in a research report on Wednesday, February 22nd. Finally, KeyCorp increased their target price on West Pharmaceutical Services from $315.00 to $375.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, February 17th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and one has given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $291.25.

About West Pharmaceutical Services

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West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc manufactures and markets pharmaceuticals, biologics, vaccines and consumer healthcare products. It operates through the following business segments: Proprietary Products and Contract-Manufactured Products. The Proprietary Products segment offers proprietary packaging, containment and drug delivery products, along with analytical lab services, to biologic, generic and pharmaceutical drug customers.