Kentucky Retirement Systems Insurance Trust Fund Makes New Investment in West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST)

Kentucky Retirement Systems Insurance Trust Fund purchased a new stake in West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST) during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm purchased 2,111 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock, valued at approximately $473,000.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Whipplewood Advisors LLC bought a new position in West Pharmaceutical Services in the fourth quarter valued at $25,000. IFP Advisors Inc grew its holdings in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 150.9% in the 4th quarter. IFP Advisors Inc now owns 133 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $45,000 after acquiring an additional 80 shares in the last quarter. Private Trust Co. NA grew its holdings in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 138.6% in the 4th quarter. Private Trust Co. NA now owns 136 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $45,000 after acquiring an additional 79 shares in the last quarter. Lindbrook Capital LLC raised its holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services by 41.9% during the fourth quarter. Lindbrook Capital LLC now owns 220 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $72,000 after acquiring an additional 65 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Edmond DE Rothschild Holding S.A. acquired a new position in West Pharmaceutical Services during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $74,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 93.90% of the company’s stock.

West Pharmaceutical Services Trading Down 0.7%

WST stock opened at $221.12 on Thursday. West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. has a one year low of $187.43 and a one year high of $352.33. The stock has a market cap of $15.89 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 34.71, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 5.48 and a beta of 1.09. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $214.28 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $254.90. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.08, a current ratio of 2.77 and a quick ratio of 2.03.

West Pharmaceutical Services (NYSE:WST) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 24th. The medical instruments supplier reported $1.45 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping 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 firm had revenue of $698.00 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $685.24 million. During the same period last year, the business posted $1.56 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up .4% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities analysts anticipate that West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. will post 6.62 EPS for the current year.

West Pharmaceutical Services Announces Dividend

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 $0.21 dividend. This represents a $0.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.38%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, July 30th. West Pharmaceutical Services’s dividend payout ratio is 13.19%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms have weighed in on WST. Stephens upgraded West Pharmaceutical Services to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Monday, April 21st. Citigroup restated a “buy” rating on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in a report on Thursday, May 22nd. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of West Pharmaceutical Services from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 27th. Barclays began coverage on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in a research report on Tuesday. They issued an “equal weight” rating and a $245.00 price objective for the company. Finally, Evercore ISI began coverage on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in a report on Tuesday, March 18th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $275.00 target price on the stock. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, six have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, West Pharmaceutical Services has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus 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.