Advisor OS LLC Reduces Stock Position in West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST)

Advisor OS LLC cut its position in West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST) by 20.0% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 2,278 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after selling 569 shares during the period. Advisor OS LLC’s holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services were worth $746,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Lake Street Advisors Group LLC increased its holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services by 5.8% in the 4th quarter. Lake Street Advisors Group LLC now owns 711 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $233,000 after buying an additional 39 shares during the period. LGL Partners LLC acquired a new stake in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in the fourth quarter worth $213,000. FFT Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services during the fourth quarter worth $593,000. Bank of New York Mellon Corp lifted its position in West Pharmaceutical Services by 6.3% during the fourth quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 3,449,811 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $1,130,020,000 after purchasing an additional 203,198 shares during the period. Finally, Impax Asset Management Group plc lifted its position in West Pharmaceutical Services by 34.2% during 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 during the period. 93.90% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

West Pharmaceutical Services Stock Down 0.2 %

Shares of WST opened at $219.62 on Thursday. The firm has a market cap of $15.88 billion, a P/E ratio of 32.83, a PEG ratio of 6.74 and a beta of 1.01. West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. has a 12 month low of $197.01 and a 12 month high of $400.88. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $309.71 and its two-hundred day moving average is $309.12. The company has a current ratio of 2.79, a quick ratio of 2.23 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.08.

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

West Pharmaceutical Services Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, May 7th. Investors of record on Wednesday, April 30th will be given a dividend of $0.21 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, April 30th. This represents a $0.84 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.38%. West Pharmaceutical Services’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 12.56%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

WST has been the topic of several analyst reports. UBS Group raised West Pharmaceutical Services from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and increased their price target for the stock from $350.00 to $390.00 in a research report on Thursday, December 12th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised West Pharmaceutical Services from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $250.00 target price on the stock in a report on Friday, February 14th. StockNews.com downgraded West Pharmaceutical Services from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday. Wolfe Research started coverage on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in a research note on Friday, December 13th. They set a “peer perform” rating on the stock. Finally, Citigroup started coverage on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in a research note on Wednesday, January 8th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $400.00 target price for the company. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, West Pharmaceutical Services has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $344.00.

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.