Blue Zone Wealth Advisors LLC Acquires 506 Shares of West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST)

Blue Zone Wealth Advisors LLC increased its holdings in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST) by 3.1% during the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The fund owned 17,044 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after buying an additional 506 shares during the period. West Pharmaceutical Services accounts for approximately 1.6% of Blue Zone Wealth Advisors LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its 23rd biggest holding. Blue Zone Wealth Advisors LLC’s holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services were worth $5,583,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Northwest Investment Counselors LLC bought a new stake in West Pharmaceutical Services during the third quarter worth about $30,000. Retirement Wealth Solutions LLC bought a new stake in West Pharmaceutical Services during the fourth quarter worth about $34,000. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC boosted its stake in West Pharmaceutical Services by 57.1% during the fourth 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 in the last quarter. Brooklyn Investment Group bought a new stake in West Pharmaceutical Services during the third quarter worth about $41,000. Finally, MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB boosted its stake in West Pharmaceutical Services by 60.8% during the fourth quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB now owns 209 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $68,000 after acquiring an additional 79 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 93.90% of the company’s stock.

West Pharmaceutical Services Stock Up 7.9 %

WST opened at $214.84 on Friday. 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 firm has a 50 day moving average price of $327.86 and a 200-day moving average price of $313.92. 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 $15.56 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 31.87, a PEG ratio of 19.31 and a beta of 1.01.

West Pharmaceutical Services (NYSE:WST) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, February 13th. The medical instruments supplier reported $1.82 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.75 by $0.07. West Pharmaceutical Services had a net margin of 17.37% and a return on equity of 18.41%. The business had revenue of $748.80 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $739.59 million. Equities research analysts forecast that West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. will post 6.67 earnings per share for the current year.

West Pharmaceutical Services Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, February 11th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 7th were issued a dividend of $0.21 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 7th. This represents a $0.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.39%. West Pharmaceutical Services’s dividend payout ratio is currently 12.46%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages have recently issued reports on WST. Wolfe Research began coverage on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in a research note on Friday, December 13th. They issued a “peer perform” rating on the stock. Bank of America upped their target price on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services from $350.00 to $355.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, December 13th. Citigroup began coverage on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in a research note on Wednesday, January 8th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $400.00 target price on the stock. StockNews.com upgraded shares of West Pharmaceutical Services from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 11th. Finally, UBS Group upgraded shares of West Pharmaceutical Services from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and upped their target price for the stock 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 six have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, West Pharmaceutical Services has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $344.00.

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.