Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC Purchases 166 Shares of West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST)

Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC lifted its position in West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST) by 41.0% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 571 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after acquiring an additional 166 shares during the quarter. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC’s holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services were worth $187,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Whipplewood Advisors LLC bought a new stake in West Pharmaceutical Services during the 4th quarter valued at about $25,000. Retirement Wealth Solutions LLC bought a new stake in West Pharmaceutical Services during the 4th quarter valued at about $34,000. Centricity Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in West Pharmaceutical Services during the 4th quarter valued at about $35,000. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC lifted its holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services by 57.1% during the 4th quarter. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC now owns 110 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $38,000 after buying an additional 40 shares in the last quarter. Finally, IFP Advisors Inc lifted its holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services by 150.9% during the 4th quarter. IFP Advisors Inc now owns 133 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $45,000 after buying an additional 80 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 93.90% of the company’s stock.

West Pharmaceutical Services Stock Up 3.0 %

Shares of West Pharmaceutical Services stock opened at $230.33 on Friday. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $285.15 and its 200-day moving average price is $303.21. The company has a quick ratio of 2.23, a current ratio of 2.79 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.08. West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. has a 52-week low of $197.01 and a 52-week high of $400.88. The company has a market cap of $16.65 billion, a P/E ratio of 34.43, a PEG ratio of 6.74 and a beta of 1.09.

West Pharmaceutical Services (NYSE:WST) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 13th. The medical instruments supplier reported $1.82 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.75 by $0.07. West Pharmaceutical Services had a net margin of 17.03% and a return on equity of 18.60%. The firm had revenue of $748.80 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $739.59 million. On average, sell-side analysts predict that West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. will post 6.62 EPS for the current fiscal year.

West Pharmaceutical Services Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, May 7th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, April 30th will be given a $0.21 dividend. This represents a $0.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.36%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, April 30th. West Pharmaceutical Services’s payout ratio is currently 12.56%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts recently weighed in on WST shares. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upgraded shares of West Pharmaceutical Services from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $250.00 price objective for the company in a report on Friday, February 14th. Bank of America boosted their price target on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services from $350.00 to $355.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, December 13th. Wolfe Research started coverage on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in a report on Friday, December 13th. They issued a “peer perform” rating for the company. UBS Group upgraded shares of West Pharmaceutical Services from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and boosted their price target for the company from $350.00 to $390.00 in a report on Thursday, December 12th. Finally, Citigroup started coverage on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in a report on Wednesday, January 8th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $400.00 price target for the company. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $344.00.

West Pharmaceutical Services Company 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.