Simon Quick Advisors LLC Makes New $233,000 Investment in West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST)

Simon Quick Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST) in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm acquired 710 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock, valued at approximately $233,000.

Other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Northwest Investment Counselors LLC bought a new position in West Pharmaceutical Services during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $30,000. Retirement Wealth Solutions LLC bought a new position in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $34,000. Brooklyn Investment Group acquired a new stake in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $41,000. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB boosted its position in West Pharmaceutical Services by 60.8% during the 4th quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB now owns 209 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $68,000 after purchasing an additional 79 shares during the period. Finally, Hilltop National Bank boosted its holdings in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 47.9% during the fourth quarter. Hilltop National Bank now owns 216 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $71,000 after acquiring an additional 70 shares during the period. 93.90% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

WST has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. Wolfe Research initiated coverage on West Pharmaceutical Services in a report on Friday, December 13th. They issued a “peer perform” rating for the company. Citigroup started coverage on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in a research note on Wednesday, January 8th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $400.00 price target for the company. UBS Group upgraded West Pharmaceutical Services from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and upped their target price for the stock from $350.00 to $390.00 in a research report on Thursday, December 12th. Finally, Bank of America raised their target price on West Pharmaceutical Services from $350.00 to $355.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, December 13th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $430.20.

Insider Activity at West Pharmaceutical Services

In related news, VP Charles Witherspoon sold 703 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, October 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $310.40, for a total value of $218,211.20. Following the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 1,253 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $388,931.20. This trade represents a 35.94 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. 0.53% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

West Pharmaceutical Services Price Performance

WST opened at $344.91 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $24.98 billion, a P/E ratio of 51.17, a PEG ratio of 18.59 and a beta of 1.00. West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. has a 12-month low of $265.00 and a 12-month high of $413.70. The company has a quick ratio of 2.23, a current ratio of 3.00 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.07. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $328.32 and a 200-day moving average of $313.54.

West Pharmaceutical Services (NYSE:WST) last released its earnings results on Thursday, October 24th. The medical instruments supplier reported $1.85 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.50 by $0.35. West Pharmaceutical Services had a net margin of 17.37% and a return on equity of 18.41%. The company had revenue of $746.90 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $709.62 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $2.16 EPS. The company’s revenue was down .1% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities analysts forecast that West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. will post 6.67 EPS for the current fiscal year.

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.