Gulf International Bank UK Ltd Has $1.90 Million Stock Position in West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST)

Gulf International Bank UK Ltd decreased its stake in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST) by 1.0% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 5,802 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after selling 57 shares during the quarter. Gulf International Bank UK Ltd’s holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services were worth $1,900,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Whipplewood Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services during the 4th quarter worth approximately $25,000. Retirement Wealth Solutions LLC bought a new position in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services during the 4th quarter worth approximately $34,000. Centricity Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services during the 4th quarter worth approximately $35,000. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC boosted its stake in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 57.1% during the 4th quarter. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC now owns 110 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $38,000 after acquiring an additional 40 shares during the period. Finally, IFP Advisors Inc boosted its stake in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 150.9% during the 4th quarter. IFP Advisors Inc now owns 133 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $45,000 after acquiring an additional 80 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 93.90% of the company’s stock.

West Pharmaceutical Services Stock Performance

NYSE:WST opened at $232.43 on Friday. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $305.65 and a 200-day moving average price of $308.21. The company has a market cap of $16.81 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 34.74, a PEG ratio of 6.74 and a beta of 1.01. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.08, a quick ratio of 2.23 and a current ratio of 2.79. West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $197.01 and a fifty-two week high of $400.88.

West Pharmaceutical Services (NYSE:WST) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 13th. The medical instruments supplier reported $1.82 EPS for the quarter, topping 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 company had revenue of $748.80 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $739.59 million. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. will post 6.62 EPS for the current fiscal year.

West Pharmaceutical Services Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, May 7th. Shareholders 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 0.36%. West Pharmaceutical Services’s payout ratio is presently 12.56%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts have recently commented on WST shares. Wolfe Research started coverage on West Pharmaceutical Services in a research note on Friday, December 13th. They set a “peer perform” rating for the company. Citigroup started coverage on 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. Bank of America lifted their target price on West Pharmaceutical Services from $350.00 to $355.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, December 13th. StockNews.com downgraded West Pharmaceutical Services from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday. Finally, UBS Group upgraded West Pharmaceutical Services from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and boosted their price target for the company from $350.00 to $390.00 in a research note on Thursday, December 12th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, 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.