Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. Purchases 1,786 Shares of West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST)

Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. raised its position in West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST) by 1.0% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 179,369 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after buying an additional 1,786 shares during the quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc.’s holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services were worth $58,754,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Northwest Investment Counselors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $30,000. Retirement Wealth Solutions LLC acquired a new stake in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in the 4th quarter valued at $34,000. Brooklyn Investment Group bought a new position in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in the 3rd quarter valued at $41,000. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB raised its holdings in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 60.8% during the 4th quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB now owns 209 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $68,000 after buying an additional 79 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Hilltop National Bank lifted its position in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 47.9% during the 4th quarter. Hilltop National Bank now owns 216 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $71,000 after buying an additional 70 shares during the last quarter. 93.90% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts have issued reports on WST shares. Bank of America lifted 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 began coverage on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in a report on Wednesday, January 8th. They set a “buy” rating and a $400.00 price target on the stock. Wolfe Research initiated coverage on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in a research note on Friday, December 13th. They issued a “peer perform” rating for the company. StockNews.com raised shares of West Pharmaceutical Services from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Finally, UBS Group upgraded West Pharmaceutical Services from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and increased their price target for the company from $350.00 to $390.00 in a research note on Thursday, December 12th. 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, West Pharmaceutical Services has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $403.75.

West Pharmaceutical Services Stock Down 2.7 %

Shares of NYSE WST opened at $321.50 on Monday. West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. has a 1 year low of $265.00 and a 1 year high of $413.56. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.07, a current ratio of 3.00 and a quick ratio of 2.23. The firm has a market cap of $23.28 billion, a PE ratio of 47.70, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 19.31 and a beta of 1.01. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $332.31 and a 200 day simple moving average of $314.48.

West Pharmaceutical Services Announces Dividend

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

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.