West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST) Shares Sold by SG Americas Securities LLC

SG Americas Securities LLC reduced its stake in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST) by 83.2% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 793 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after selling 3,940 shares during the quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC’s holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services were worth $260,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Seilern Investment Management Ltd purchased a new stake in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services during the fourth quarter valued at $145,379,000. FMR LLC grew its stake in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 199.4% in the 3rd quarter. FMR LLC now owns 595,775 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $178,828,000 after buying an additional 396,780 shares in the last quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC increased its stake in shares of 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 worth $205,114,000 after purchasing an additional 122,361 shares during the last quarter. Champlain Investment Partners LLC boosted its stake in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 29.7% during the 3rd quarter. Champlain Investment Partners LLC now owns 444,000 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $133,271,000 after acquiring an additional 101,710 shares in the last quarter. Finally, DF Dent & Co. Inc. raised its position in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 33.0% in the third quarter. DF Dent & Co. Inc. now owns 397,152 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $119,209,000 after purchasing an additional 98,564 shares during the period. 93.90% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages have commented on WST. StockNews.com raised West Pharmaceutical Services from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Bank of America raised their price target on West Pharmaceutical Services from $350.00 to $355.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, December 13th. UBS Group upgraded West Pharmaceutical Services from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and boosted their target price for the stock from $350.00 to $390.00 in a research report on Thursday, December 12th. Wolfe Research initiated coverage on West Pharmaceutical Services in a research note on Friday, December 13th. They issued a “peer perform” rating on the stock. Finally, Citigroup started coverage on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in a research report on Wednesday, January 8th. They set a “buy” rating and a $400.00 price target on the stock. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and six have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $430.20.

West Pharmaceutical Services Stock Down 1.4 %

Shares of WST stock opened at $330.53 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $23.94 billion, a P/E ratio of 49.04, a PEG ratio of 19.82 and a beta of 1.01. West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. has a 1 year low of $265.00 and a 1 year high of $413.70. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $332.39 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $314.53. The company has a current ratio of 3.00, a quick ratio of 2.23 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.07.

West Pharmaceutical Services Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, February 11th. Investors of record on Friday, February 7th will be paid a $0.21 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 7th. This represents a $0.84 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.25%. West Pharmaceutical Services’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 12.46%.

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.