Daiwa Securities Group Inc. Boosts Stock Holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST)

Daiwa Securities Group Inc. boosted its stake in West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST) by 5.9% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 11,513 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after purchasing an additional 643 shares during the quarter. Daiwa Securities Group Inc.’s holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services were worth $3,771,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in WST. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank boosted its stake in West Pharmaceutical Services by 2.8% during the fourth quarter. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank now owns 15,077 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $4,939,000 after buying an additional 409 shares during the last quarter. OFI Invest Asset Management purchased a new stake in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services during the 4th quarter worth approximately $1,215,000. Amundi boosted its position in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 39.4% during the 4th quarter. Amundi now owns 331,781 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $111,780,000 after acquiring an additional 93,692 shares during the last quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. grew its holdings in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 8.3% in the fourth quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 19,464 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $6,375,000 after purchasing an additional 1,489 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Bank Julius Baer & Co. Ltd Zurich increased its position in West Pharmaceutical Services by 14.2% in the fourth quarter. Bank Julius Baer & Co. Ltd Zurich now owns 35,984 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $11,938,000 after purchasing an additional 4,483 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 93.90% of the company’s stock.

West Pharmaceutical Services Stock Down 0.1 %

Shares of NYSE:WST opened at $224.01 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $16.20 billion, a PE ratio of 33.48, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 6.74 and a beta of 1.09. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $289.34 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $304.27. West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. has a 1 year low of $197.01 and a 1 year high of $400.88. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.08, a current ratio of 2.79 and a quick ratio of 2.23.

West Pharmaceutical Services (NYSE:WST) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 13th. The medical instruments supplier reported $1.82 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating 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. On average, equities analysts predict that West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. will post 6.62 EPS for the current year.

West Pharmaceutical Services Announces Dividend

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 given a dividend of $0.21 per share. This represents a $0.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.37%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, April 30th. West Pharmaceutical Services’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 12.56%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts have commented on the stock. Citigroup initiated coverage on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in a research report on Wednesday, January 8th. They set a “buy” rating and a $400.00 price objective for the company. Bank of America lifted their price target on West Pharmaceutical Services from $350.00 to $355.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, December 13th. KeyCorp reduced their price objective on West Pharmaceutical Services from $470.00 to $325.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, February 14th. 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 research note on Friday, February 14th. Finally, UBS Group raised West Pharmaceutical Services from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and boosted their target price for the company from $350.00 to $390.00 in a research report on Thursday, December 12th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently 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.