FFT Wealth Management LLC Purchases Shares of 1,811 West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST)

FFT Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST) in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor acquired 1,811 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock, valued at approximately $593,000.

A number of other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the business. Retirement Wealth Solutions LLC acquired a new position in West Pharmaceutical Services in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $34,000. Centricity Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in the 4th quarter valued at $35,000. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC boosted its holdings in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 57.1% in the 4th quarter. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC now owns 110 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $38,000 after buying an additional 40 shares in the last quarter. IFP Advisors Inc grew its position in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 150.9% in the 4th quarter. IFP Advisors Inc now owns 133 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $45,000 after buying an additional 80 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Brooklyn Investment Group acquired a new stake in West Pharmaceutical Services during the 3rd quarter worth $41,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 93.90% of the company’s stock.

West Pharmaceutical Services Stock Down 0.3 %

West Pharmaceutical Services stock opened at $220.34 on Wednesday. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $311.82 and a two-hundred day moving average of $309.75. West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. has a twelve month low of $197.01 and a twelve month high of $400.88. The stock has a market capitalization of $15.93 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 32.94, a PEG ratio of 6.74 and a beta of 1.01. 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 issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 13th. The medical instruments supplier reported $1.82 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.75 by $0.07. The firm had revenue of $748.80 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $739.59 million. West Pharmaceutical Services had a return on equity of 18.60% and a net margin of 17.03%. As a group, research analysts expect that West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. will post 6.62 earnings per share for the current year.

West Pharmaceutical Services Announces Dividend

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

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts have issued reports on WST shares. StockNews.com downgraded shares of West Pharmaceutical Services from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 19th. Citigroup initiated coverage on West Pharmaceutical Services in a research note on Wednesday, January 8th. They set a “buy” rating and a $400.00 price target on the stock. Wolfe Research initiated coverage on West Pharmaceutical Services in a research report on Friday, December 13th. They set a “peer perform” rating on the stock. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised West Pharmaceutical Services from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $250.00 price objective for the company in a report on Friday, February 14th. Finally, Bank of America lifted their target price on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services from $350.00 to $355.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, December 13th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average 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.