Annex Advisory Services LLC Has $15.94 Million Holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST)

Annex Advisory Services LLC increased its position in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST) by 34.8% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 48,648 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after purchasing an additional 12,568 shares during the period. Annex Advisory Services LLC owned about 0.07% of West Pharmaceutical Services worth $15,935,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Artemis Investment Management LLP bought a new position in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services during the 4th quarter worth about $20,912,000. HB Wealth Management LLC raised its position in West Pharmaceutical Services by 46.4% in the fourth quarter. HB Wealth Management LLC now owns 1,206 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $395,000 after purchasing an additional 382 shares in the last quarter. Arkadios Wealth Advisors raised its position in West Pharmaceutical Services by 5.5% in the fourth quarter. Arkadios Wealth Advisors now owns 1,264 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $414,000 after purchasing an additional 66 shares in the last quarter. Retirement Wealth Solutions LLC acquired a new stake in West Pharmaceutical Services during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $34,000. Finally, Avanza Fonder AB acquired a new stake in West Pharmaceutical Services during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $2,553,000. 93.90% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other West Pharmaceutical Services news, VP Charles Witherspoon sold 703 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, October 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $310.40, for a total value of $218,211.20. Following the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 1,253 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $388,931.20. This trade represents a 35.94 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 0.53% of the company’s stock.

West Pharmaceutical Services Stock Performance

West Pharmaceutical Services stock opened at $336.15 on Monday. West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. has a 12-month low of $265.00 and a 12-month high of $413.70. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $327.01 and a 200 day simple moving average of $312.65. The company has a quick ratio of 2.23, a current ratio of 3.00 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.07. The stock has a market capitalization of $24.34 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 49.87, a P/E/G ratio of 17.72 and a beta of 1.00.

West Pharmaceutical Services (NYSE:WST) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 24th. The medical instruments supplier reported $1.85 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.50 by $0.35. West Pharmaceutical Services had a net margin of 17.37% and a return on equity of 18.41%. The business had revenue of $746.90 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $709.62 million. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $2.16 earnings per share. West Pharmaceutical Services’s revenue was down .1% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, research analysts anticipate that West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. will post 6.67 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

West Pharmaceutical Services Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, November 20th. Investors of record on Wednesday, November 13th were issued a $0.21 dividend. This is a boost from West Pharmaceutical Services’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.20. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, November 13th. This represents a $0.84 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.25%. West Pharmaceutical Services’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 12.46%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages recently commented on WST. Wolfe Research began coverage on West Pharmaceutical Services in a research note on Friday, December 13th. They issued a “peer perform” rating on the stock. Bank of America lifted their price objective on West Pharmaceutical Services from $350.00 to $355.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, December 13th. Citigroup assumed coverage on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in a report on Wednesday, January 8th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $400.00 target price on the stock. Finally, UBS Group upgraded shares of 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 report on Thursday, December 12th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $430.20.

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.