Commonwealth Equity Services LLC Trims Stake in West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST)

Commonwealth Equity Services LLC decreased its stake in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST) by 10.2% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 4,531 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after selling 512 shares during the period. Commonwealth Equity Services LLC’s holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services were worth $1,484,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Cerity Partners LLC boosted its position in West Pharmaceutical Services by 94.1% during the third quarter. Cerity Partners LLC now owns 5,294 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $1,589,000 after acquiring an additional 2,566 shares during the last quarter. Dynamic Technology Lab Private Ltd acquired a new stake in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services during the third quarter worth $475,000. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company grew its position in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 13.8% in the third quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company now owns 78,562 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $23,587,000 after purchasing an additional 9,516 shares during the period. FMR LLC grew its position in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 199.4% in the third quarter. FMR LLC now owns 595,775 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $178,828,000 after purchasing an additional 396,780 shares during the period. Finally, Quantbot Technologies LP purchased a new position in West Pharmaceutical Services during the third quarter worth about $791,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 93.90% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts have commented on WST shares. StockNews.com cut West Pharmaceutical Services from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, February 27th. Evercore ISI initiated coverage on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in a report on Tuesday, March 18th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $275.00 target price for the company. Citigroup initiated coverage on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in a research note on Wednesday, January 8th. They set a “buy” rating and a $400.00 price target on the stock. Wolfe Research assumed coverage on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in a research note on Friday, December 13th. They set a “peer perform” rating for the company. Finally, Bank of America increased their target price on West Pharmaceutical Services from $350.00 to $355.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, December 13th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $332.50.

West Pharmaceutical Services Stock Performance

Shares of WST stock opened at $222.08 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 2.79, a quick ratio of 2.23 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.08. The company has a market cap of $16.06 billion, a PE ratio of 33.20, a P/E/G ratio of 6.74 and a beta of 1.09. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $263.98 and its 200-day simple moving average is $297.82. West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. has a 52 week low of $197.01 and a 52 week high of $396.75.

West Pharmaceutical Services (NYSE:WST) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 13th. The medical instruments supplier reported $1.82 EPS for the quarter, topping 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 for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $739.59 million. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. will post 6.62 EPS for the current year.

West Pharmaceutical Services Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, May 7th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, April 30th will be paid a dividend of $0.21 per share. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, April 30th. This represents a $0.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.38%. West Pharmaceutical Services’s dividend payout ratio is currently 12.56%.

About West Pharmaceutical Services

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.