LGL Partners LLC Makes New Investment in West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST)

LGL Partners LLC bought a new position in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST) in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor bought 651 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock, valued at approximately $213,000.

Other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. FFT Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in West Pharmaceutical Services during the 4th quarter valued at about $593,000. Bank of New York Mellon Corp boosted its holdings in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 6.3% during the 4th quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 3,449,811 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $1,130,020,000 after purchasing an additional 203,198 shares during the last quarter. Impax Asset Management Group plc grew its position in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 34.2% in the fourth quarter. Impax Asset Management Group plc now owns 4,116 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $1,348,000 after purchasing an additional 1,049 shares in the last quarter. IFP Advisors Inc increased its holdings in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 150.9% in the fourth quarter. IFP Advisors Inc now owns 133 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $45,000 after purchasing an additional 80 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Bradley Foster & Sargent Inc. CT purchased a new position in West Pharmaceutical Services during the fourth quarter worth approximately $272,000. 93.90% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts have issued reports on the company. Bank of America raised their target price on West Pharmaceutical Services from $350.00 to $355.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, December 13th. StockNews.com lowered shares of West Pharmaceutical Services from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 19th. KeyCorp decreased their target price on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services from $470.00 to $325.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, February 14th. Wolfe Research assumed coverage on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in a report on Friday, December 13th. They set a “peer perform” rating for the company. Finally, UBS Group raised 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 research report on Thursday, December 12th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, West Pharmaceutical Services currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $344.00.

West Pharmaceutical Services Stock Performance

Shares of WST stock opened at $220.34 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.08, a quick ratio of 2.23 and a current ratio of 2.79. The firm has a market cap of $15.93 billion, a P/E ratio of 32.94, a P/E/G ratio of 6.74 and a beta of 1.01. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $311.82 and its 200-day moving average price is $309.75. West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. has a one year low of $197.01 and a one year high of $400.88.

West Pharmaceutical Services (NYSE:WST) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 13th. The medical instruments supplier reported $1.82 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.75 by $0.07. West Pharmaceutical Services had a return on equity of 18.60% and a net margin of 17.03%. The company had revenue of $748.80 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $739.59 million. As a group, equities research analysts predict that West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. will post 6.62 EPS for the current year.

West Pharmaceutical Services Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, May 7th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, April 30th will be given a $0.21 dividend. This represents a $0.84 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.38%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, April 30th. West Pharmaceutical Services’s dividend payout ratio is currently 12.56%.

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.