Mutual of America Capital Management LLC Sells 252 Shares of West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST)

Mutual of America Capital Management LLC lowered its holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST) by 2.9% in the first quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 8,442 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after selling 252 shares during the period. Mutual of America Capital Management LLC’s holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services were worth $1,890,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Quadrant Capital Group LLC increased its position in West Pharmaceutical Services by 5.4% in the 4th quarter. Quadrant Capital Group LLC now owns 626 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $205,000 after acquiring an additional 32 shares during the period. Boston Trust Walden Corp increased its position in West Pharmaceutical Services by 4.7% in the 1st quarter. Boston Trust Walden Corp now owns 1,110 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $249,000 after acquiring an additional 50 shares during the period. MGO One Seven LLC increased its position in West Pharmaceutical Services by 4.4% in the 4th quarter. MGO One Seven LLC now owns 1,277 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $418,000 after acquiring an additional 54 shares during the period. HighPoint Advisor Group LLC increased its position in West Pharmaceutical Services by 3.8% in the 4th quarter. HighPoint Advisor Group LLC now owns 1,519 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $490,000 after acquiring an additional 55 shares during the period. Finally, Nissay Asset Management Corp Japan ADV increased its position in West Pharmaceutical Services by 0.6% in the 4th quarter. Nissay Asset Management Corp Japan ADV now owns 9,318 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $3,105,000 after acquiring an additional 55 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 93.90% of the company’s stock.

West Pharmaceutical Services Price Performance

WST stock opened at $210.91 on Friday. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $217.98 and a 200-day moving average of $241.78. The company has a current ratio of 2.77, a quick ratio of 2.03 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.08. West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. has a 12 month low of $187.43 and a 12 month high of $352.33. The firm has a market capitalization of $15.15 billion, a P/E ratio of 33.11, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 5.19 and a beta of 1.09.

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

West Pharmaceutical Services Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, August 6th. Investors of record on Wednesday, July 30th will be paid a $0.21 dividend. This represents a $0.84 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.40%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, July 30th. West Pharmaceutical Services’s payout ratio is 13.19%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages recently issued reports on WST. Barclays began coverage on shares of 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. Citigroup restated a “buy” rating on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in a report on Thursday, May 22nd. Finally, Stephens upgraded shares of West Pharmaceutical Services to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Monday, April 21st. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, six have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target 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.