Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management UK Ltd. trimmed its position in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST – Free Report) by 41.7% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 3,500 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after selling 2,500 shares during the quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management UK Ltd.’s holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services were worth $1,146,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.
A number of other large investors also recently modified their holdings of WST. State Street Corp lifted its stake in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 0.3% in the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 3,214,448 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $964,850,000 after buying an additional 10,060 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its position in West Pharmaceutical Services by 0.7% in the 3rd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 1,740,183 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $520,569,000 after acquiring an additional 12,850 shares in the last quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC boosted its stake in West Pharmaceutical Services by 21.8% during the 3rd quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 683,350 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $205,114,000 after purchasing an additional 122,361 shares during the last quarter. FMR LLC increased its holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services by 199.4% during the 3rd quarter. FMR LLC now owns 595,775 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $178,828,000 after purchasing an additional 396,780 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. lifted its stake in West Pharmaceutical Services by 1.5% during the 3rd quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 448,184 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $134,527,000 after acquiring an additional 6,756 shares in the last quarter. 93.90% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.
Wall Street Analyst Weigh In
Several research firms recently weighed in on WST. UBS Group upgraded shares of West Pharmaceutical Services from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and boosted their price target for the stock from $350.00 to $390.00 in a report on Thursday, December 12th. Wolfe Research assumed coverage on West Pharmaceutical Services in a report on Friday, December 13th. They issued a “peer perform” rating for the company. Bank of America lifted their price target on West Pharmaceutical Services from $350.00 to $355.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, December 13th. Finally, Citigroup assumed coverage on West Pharmaceutical Services in a research note on Wednesday, January 8th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $400.00 price objective for the company. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, West Pharmaceutical Services has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $430.20.
Insider Transactions at West Pharmaceutical Services
In related news, VP Charles Witherspoon sold 703 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, October 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $310.40, for a total transaction of $218,211.20. Following the sale, the vice president now owns 1,253 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $388,931.20. This represents a 35.94 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 0.53% of the company’s stock.
West Pharmaceutical Services Stock Performance
Shares of WST opened at $344.87 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.07, a current ratio of 3.00 and a quick ratio of 2.23. The firm has a market cap of $24.98 billion, a PE ratio of 51.17, a PEG ratio of 17.97 and a beta of 1.00. West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. has a 1 year low of $265.00 and a 1 year high of $413.70. The stock’s fifty day moving average price is $327.53 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $312.92.
West Pharmaceutical Services (NYSE:WST – Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, October 24th. The medical instruments supplier reported $1.85 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.50 by $0.35. The firm had revenue of $746.90 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $709.62 million. West Pharmaceutical Services had a net margin of 17.37% and a return on equity of 18.41%. The company’s quarterly revenue was down .1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $2.16 earnings per share. On average, equities research analysts forecast that West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. will post 6.67 EPS for the current year.
West Pharmaceutical Services Increases Dividend
The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, November 20th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, November 13th were given a dividend of $0.21 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, November 13th. This represents a $0.84 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.24%. This is an increase from West Pharmaceutical Services’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.20. West Pharmaceutical Services’s dividend payout ratio is currently 12.46%.
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.
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