West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST) Shares Acquired by Nisa Investment Advisors LLC

Nisa Investment Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST) by 1.1% during the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The fund owned 34,556 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after buying an additional 369 shares during the period. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC’s holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services were worth $11,319,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Simon Quick Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services during the 4th quarter worth $233,000. Atomi Financial Group Inc. increased its position in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 20.7% during the fourth quarter. Atomi Financial Group Inc. now owns 817 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $267,000 after acquiring an additional 140 shares during the last quarter. Crossmark Global Holdings Inc. raised its stake in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 41.5% in the 4th quarter. Crossmark Global Holdings Inc. now owns 7,877 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $2,581,000 after acquiring an additional 2,309 shares during the period. Ballentine Partners LLC lifted its holdings in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 17.6% in the 4th quarter. Ballentine Partners LLC now owns 901 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $295,000 after acquiring an additional 135 shares during the last quarter. Finally, MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB boosted its position in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 60.8% during the 4th quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB now owns 209 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $68,000 after purchasing an additional 79 shares during the period. 93.90% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

West Pharmaceutical Services Stock Down 1.1 %

WST stock opened at $343.89 on Friday. West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $265.00 and a fifty-two week high of $413.70. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $327.71 and its 200 day moving average price is $313.37. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.07, a quick ratio of 2.23 and a current ratio of 3.00. The firm has a market capitalization of $24.90 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 51.02, a PEG ratio of 18.42 and a beta of 1.00.

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

Analyst Ratings Changes

WST has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. Wolfe Research started coverage on West Pharmaceutical Services in a research report on Friday, December 13th. They issued a “peer perform” rating on the stock. UBS Group raised West Pharmaceutical Services from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and increased their target price for the stock from $350.00 to $390.00 in a research note on Thursday, December 12th. Bank of America lifted their target price on West Pharmaceutical Services from $350.00 to $355.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, December 13th. Finally, 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 price objective for the company. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $430.20.

Insiders Place Their Bets

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 transaction of $218,211.20. Following the sale, the vice president now 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 transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. 0.53% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

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.