Vancity Investment Management Ltd Sells 1,471 Shares of West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST)

Vancity Investment Management Ltd decreased its stake in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST) by 5.0% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 27,904 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after selling 1,471 shares during the period. Vancity Investment Management Ltd’s holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services were worth $9,668,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in WST. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC grew its position in West Pharmaceutical Services by 253.4% in the fourth quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 205 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $48,000 after purchasing an additional 147 shares in the last quarter. Compagnie Lombard Odier SCmA bought a new position in West Pharmaceutical Services in the fourth quarter valued at $48,000. Clear Street Markets LLC grew its position in West Pharmaceutical Services by 93.3% in the first quarter. Clear Street Markets LLC now owns 145 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $50,000 after purchasing an additional 70 shares in the last quarter. WealthPLAN Partners LLC bought a new position in West Pharmaceutical Services in the first quarter valued at $51,000. Finally, Nelson Van Denburg & Campbell Wealth Management Group LLC bought a new position in West Pharmaceutical Services in the first quarter valued at $51,000. Institutional investors own 91.23% of the company’s stock.

West Pharmaceutical Services Stock Performance

NYSE WST opened at $393.16 on Friday. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $387.44 and a 200-day moving average of $361.15. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.07, a quick ratio of 2.78 and a current ratio of 3.66. The stock has a market cap of $29.04 billion, a PE ratio of 57.31, a P/E/G ratio of 8.75 and a beta of 1.08. West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. has a 52-week low of $206.19 and a 52-week high of $415.73.

West Pharmaceutical Services (NYSE:WST) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 27th. The medical instruments supplier reported $2.11 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.95 by $0.16. West Pharmaceutical Services had a net margin of 18.10% and a return on equity of 22.36%. The business had revenue of $753.80 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $755.71 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $2.47 EPS. The business’s revenue was down 2.3% on a year-over-year basis. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. will post 7.83 EPS for the current year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other West Pharmaceutical Services news, VP Charles Witherspoon sold 1,680 shares of West Pharmaceutical Services stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, August 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $396.54, for a total value of $666,187.20. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now owns 1,829 shares in the company, valued at approximately $725,271.66. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. In other West Pharmaceutical Services news, insider Cindy Reiss-Clark sold 3,477 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, August 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $393.34, for a total value of $1,367,643.18. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 4,320 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,699,228.80. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, VP Charles Witherspoon sold 1,680 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, August 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $396.54, for a total transaction of $666,187.20. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 1,829 shares in the company, valued at $725,271.66. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 58,752 shares of company stock worth $22,713,817 in the last quarter. 1.13% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms recently weighed in on WST. StockNews.com started coverage on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in a research report on Thursday, August 17th. They issued a “buy” rating for the company. Stephens increased their price target on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services from $400.00 to $420.00 in a research note on Monday, July 17th. Bank of America upgraded shares of West Pharmaceutical Services from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and increased their price target for the company from $390.00 to $405.00 in a research note on Friday, June 16th. Finally, KeyCorp increased their price target on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services from $415.00 to $440.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 30th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, West Pharmaceutical Services presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $361.00.

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.