Retirement Wealth Solutions LLC Makes New $34,000 Investment in West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST)

Retirement Wealth Solutions LLC acquired a new stake in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST) during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm acquired 103 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock, valued at approximately $34,000.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of WST. Northwest Investment Counselors LLC purchased a new stake in West Pharmaceutical Services during the 3rd quarter valued at about $30,000. Brooklyn Investment Group bought a new stake in West Pharmaceutical Services in the third quarter valued at approximately $41,000. Hilltop National Bank boosted its stake 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 purchasing an additional 70 shares during the period. Eastern Bank bought a new position in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in the third quarter worth approximately $82,000. Finally, Trust Co. of Vermont purchased a new position in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in the third quarter worth $90,000. 93.90% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling at West Pharmaceutical Services

In related news, VP Charles Witherspoon sold 703 shares of the stock in a transaction dated 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 directly 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 sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 0.53% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

West Pharmaceutical Services Price Performance

Shares of WST stock opened at $336.15 on Friday. The business’s fifty day moving average is $327.01 and its 200 day moving average is $312.78. 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 market cap of $24.34 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 49.87, a PEG ratio of 17.72 and a beta of 1.00. West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. has a twelve month low of $265.00 and a twelve month high of $413.70.

West Pharmaceutical Services (NYSE:WST) last released 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. West Pharmaceutical Services had a net margin of 17.37% and a return on equity of 18.41%. The firm had revenue of $746.90 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $709.62 million. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $2.16 EPS. The company’s revenue was down .1% compared to the same quarter last year. Research analysts expect that West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. will post 6.67 EPS for the current fiscal year.

West Pharmaceutical Services Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, November 20th. Investors of record on Wednesday, November 13th were paid a $0.21 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, November 13th. This represents a $0.84 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.25%. This is an increase from West Pharmaceutical Services’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.20. West Pharmaceutical Services’s dividend payout ratio is presently 12.46%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages have issued reports on WST. Citigroup assumed 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 on the stock. 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. Bank of America boosted 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. Finally, UBS Group upgraded shares of West Pharmaceutical Services from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and lifted their price target for the company from $350.00 to $390.00 in a report on Thursday, December 12th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $430.20.

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.