West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST) Shares Purchased by MetLife Investment Management LLC

MetLife Investment Management LLC raised its position in West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST) by 1.2% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 21,112 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after purchasing an additional 243 shares during the quarter. MetLife Investment Management LLC’s holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services were worth $6,915,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Norges Bank bought a new stake in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services during the 4th quarter worth about $290,604,000. Van ECK Associates Corp raised its stake in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 5,074.0% in the 4th quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 689,493 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $225,851,000 after buying an additional 676,167 shares in the last quarter. William Blair Investment Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 731.8% in the fourth quarter. William Blair Investment Management LLC now owns 640,735 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $209,879,000 after buying an additional 563,705 shares during the period. FMR LLC grew its holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services by 83.1% during the fourth quarter. FMR LLC now owns 1,090,603 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $357,238,000 after acquiring an additional 494,828 shares during the period. Finally, Seilern Investment Management Ltd acquired a new stake in West Pharmaceutical Services in the 4th quarter valued at about $145,379,000. Institutional investors own 93.90% of the company’s stock.

West Pharmaceutical Services Trading Up 4.4 %

Shares of NYSE:WST opened at $214.85 on Wednesday. West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. has a 12-month low of $187.43 and a 12-month high of $394.42. The company has a quick ratio of 2.23, a current ratio of 2.79 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.08. The firm has a market capitalization of $15.53 billion, a P/E ratio of 32.11, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 6.74 and a beta of 1.22. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $217.85 and a two-hundred day moving average of $285.32.

West Pharmaceutical Services (NYSE:WST) last released its quarterly earnings data 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. West Pharmaceutical Services had a return on equity of 18.60% and a net margin of 17.03%. The firm had revenue of $748.80 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $739.59 million. On average, equities analysts expect that West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. will post 6.62 EPS for the current fiscal year.

West Pharmaceutical Services Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, May 7th. Investors of record on Wednesday, April 30th will be issued a $0.21 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, April 30th. This represents a $0.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.39%. West Pharmaceutical Services’s dividend payout ratio is currently 12.56%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts recently commented on the stock. Citigroup started coverage on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in a research note on Wednesday, January 8th. They set a “buy” rating and a $400.00 target price for the company. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised 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 research note on Friday, February 14th. Evercore ISI started coverage on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in a research report on Tuesday, March 18th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $275.00 target price on the stock. StockNews.com cut shares of West Pharmaceutical Services from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 27th. Finally, KeyCorp reduced their target price on West Pharmaceutical Services from $470.00 to $325.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Friday, February 14th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $332.50.

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.