North Growth Management Ltd. Decreases Holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST)

North Growth Management Ltd. reduced its position in West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST) by 5.3% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 18,000 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after selling 1,000 shares during the quarter. North Growth Management Ltd.’s holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services were worth $5,960,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors have also made changes to their positions in WST. Baron Wealth Management LLC grew its stake in West Pharmaceutical Services by 1.9% during the 4th quarter. Baron Wealth Management LLC now owns 1,926 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $631,000 after buying an additional 35 shares during the last quarter. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC grew its stake in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 18.9% during the fourth quarter. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC now owns 239 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $78,000 after acquiring an additional 38 shares during the last quarter. Covestor Ltd increased its holdings in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 14.3% during the third quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 320 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $96,000 after acquiring an additional 40 shares in the last quarter. KBC Group NV raised its position in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 0.4% in the 4th quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 9,980 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $3,269,000 after purchasing an additional 42 shares during the last quarter. Finally, UMB Bank n.a. boosted its stake in West Pharmaceutical Services by 1.2% in the 3rd quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 3,941 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $1,183,000 after purchasing an additional 47 shares in the last quarter. 93.90% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

West Pharmaceutical Services Stock Down 2.7 %

Shares of WST stock opened at $321.50 on Friday. West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. has a twelve month low of $265.00 and a twelve month high of $413.56. The stock has a market cap of $23.28 billion, a P/E ratio of 47.70, a P/E/G ratio of 19.31 and a beta of 1.01. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $332.31 and a 200 day moving average of $314.55. The company has a current ratio of 3.00, a quick ratio of 2.23 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.07.

West Pharmaceutical Services Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, February 11th. Investors of record on Friday, February 7th will be issued a dividend of $0.21 per share. This represents a $0.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.26%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 7th. West Pharmaceutical Services’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 12.46%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts have issued reports on WST shares. StockNews.com upgraded shares of West Pharmaceutical Services from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Bank of America upped their target price on West Pharmaceutical Services from $350.00 to $355.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, December 13th. Citigroup started coverage on West Pharmaceutical Services in a research report on Wednesday, January 8th. They set a “buy” rating and a $400.00 price target for the company. UBS Group upgraded West Pharmaceutical Services from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and raised their price objective for the stock from $350.00 to $390.00 in a research note on Thursday, December 12th. Finally, Wolfe Research assumed coverage on West Pharmaceutical Services in a research report on Friday, December 13th. They issued a “peer perform” rating on the stock. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, West Pharmaceutical Services has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $403.75.

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.