Rockland Trust Co. Buys 5,087 Shares of West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. $WST

Rockland Trust Co. boosted its stake in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST) by 6.5% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 83,066 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after purchasing an additional 5,087 shares during the period. Rockland Trust Co. owned about 0.12% of West Pharmaceutical Services worth $21,791,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Wealthfront Advisers LLC grew its stake in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 65.2% during the 3rd quarter. Wealthfront Advisers LLC now owns 4,472 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $1,173,000 after acquiring an additional 1,765 shares during the period. Oppenheimer & Co. Inc. lifted its holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services by 4.1% during the third quarter. Oppenheimer & Co. Inc. now owns 4,432 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $1,163,000 after purchasing an additional 173 shares in the last quarter. Linden Thomas Advisory Services LLC boosted its position in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 2.1% in the third quarter. Linden Thomas Advisory Services LLC now owns 5,176 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $1,358,000 after purchasing an additional 104 shares during the period. RFG Advisory LLC boosted its position in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 2.2% in the third quarter. RFG Advisory LLC now owns 2,233 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $586,000 after purchasing an additional 47 shares during the period. Finally, Plato Investment Management Ltd bought a new stake in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services during the 3rd quarter valued at $660,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 93.90% of the company’s stock.

West Pharmaceutical Services Price Performance

Shares of West Pharmaceutical Services stock opened at $248.82 on Tuesday. The firm has a market cap of $17.90 billion, a PE ratio of 36.86, a PEG ratio of 3.43 and a beta of 1.18. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $263.66 and a 200 day moving average of $261.97. The company has a current ratio of 2.87, a quick ratio of 2.18 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.07. West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. has a 12 month low of $187.43 and a 12 month high of $325.20.

West Pharmaceutical Services Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, February 4th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, January 28th were given a dividend of $0.22 per share. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, January 28th. This represents a $0.88 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.4%. West Pharmaceutical Services’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 13.04%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Morgan Stanley initiated coverage on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in a research note on Monday, December 1st. They set an “equal weight” rating and a $285.00 target price on the stock. Wall Street Zen upgraded West Pharmaceutical Services from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Saturday, December 20th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft set a $345.00 target price on West Pharmaceutical Services and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, October 24th. Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c)” rating on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in a report on Friday, January 9th. Finally, KeyCorp upped their price target on West Pharmaceutical Services from $325.00 to $350.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, October 24th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have issued a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $330.13.

West Pharmaceutical Services Company Profile

West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc is a global developer and manufacturer of components, systems and services that enable the containment and delivery of injectable drugs. The company focuses on high-quality packaging and delivery solutions for the pharmaceutical and biotech industries, producing primary drug packaging components and specialized drug delivery devices used for vaccines, biologics and other injectable therapies. West is known for its elastomeric closures, seals and polymer components that maintain sterility and compatibility with sensitive drug formulations.

In addition to component manufacturing, West provides engineered delivery systems and support services across the product lifecycle.