Allworth Financial LP Has $96,000 Holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST)

Allworth Financial LP lifted its holdings in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST) by 229.7% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 455 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after buying an additional 317 shares during the quarter. Allworth Financial LP’s holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services were worth $96,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. First Horizon Advisors Inc. boosted its position in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 85.0% in the first quarter. First Horizon Advisors Inc. now owns 185 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $41,000 after acquiring an additional 85 shares during the period. Opal Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in West Pharmaceutical Services during the 1st quarter valued at approximately $53,000. Whipplewood Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 248.0% during the 1st quarter. Whipplewood Advisors LLC now owns 261 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $58,000 after buying an additional 186 shares in the last quarter. Edmond DE Rothschild Holding S.A. bought a new position in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in the 4th quarter worth $74,000. Finally, Exchange Traded Concepts LLC lifted its stake in West Pharmaceutical Services by 38.5% during the 1st quarter. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC now owns 331 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $74,000 after acquiring an additional 92 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 93.90% of the company’s stock.

West Pharmaceutical Services Stock Down 1.1%

West Pharmaceutical Services stock opened at $221.80 on Friday. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $218.03 and a 200-day moving average price of $243.18. West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. has a 1-year low of $187.43 and a 1-year high of $352.33. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.08, a current ratio of 2.77 and a quick ratio of 2.03. The stock has a market capitalization of $15.94 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 34.82, a PEG ratio of 5.52 and a beta of 1.09.

West Pharmaceutical Services (NYSE:WST) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 24th. The medical instruments supplier reported $1.45 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.22 by $0.23. The firm had revenue of $698.00 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $685.24 million. West Pharmaceutical Services had a return on equity of 18.23% and a net margin of 16.13%. West Pharmaceutical Services’s revenue for the quarter was up .4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $1.56 EPS. Equities research analysts forecast that West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. will post 6.62 EPS for the current fiscal year.

West Pharmaceutical Services Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, August 6th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, July 30th will be issued a dividend of $0.21 per share. This represents a $0.84 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.38%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, July 30th. West Pharmaceutical Services’s payout ratio is 13.19%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Citigroup reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in a research report on Thursday, May 22nd. Stephens raised West Pharmaceutical Services to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Monday, April 21st. Finally, Barclays started coverage on West Pharmaceutical Services in a research note on Tuesday, June 24th. They set an “equal weight” rating and a $245.00 target price on the stock. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, six have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $320.00.

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.