Chevy Chase Trust Holdings LLC Has $12.55 Million Stake in West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST)

Chevy Chase Trust Holdings LLC trimmed its position in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST) by 2.3% during the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor owned 38,300 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after selling 890 shares during the period. Chevy Chase Trust Holdings LLC’s holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services were worth $12,546,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Northwest Investment Counselors LLC acquired a new stake in West Pharmaceutical Services during the third quarter worth about $30,000. Retirement Wealth Solutions LLC acquired a new stake in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $34,000. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC boosted its stake in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 57.1% in the 4th quarter. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC now owns 110 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $38,000 after purchasing an additional 40 shares in the last quarter. Brooklyn Investment Group acquired a new stake in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $41,000. Finally, MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB boosted its stake in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 60.8% in the 4th quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB now owns 209 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $68,000 after purchasing an additional 79 shares in the last quarter. 93.90% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts have recently weighed in on WST shares. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upgraded shares of West Pharmaceutical Services from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $250.00 price target on the stock in a research note on Friday. KeyCorp reduced their price target on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services from $470.00 to $325.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday. Bank of America lifted 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 report on Friday, December 13th. Wolfe Research began coverage on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in a research report on Friday, December 13th. They set a “peer perform” rating on the stock. Finally, Citigroup began coverage on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in a research report on Wednesday, January 8th. They set a “buy” rating and a $400.00 target price on the stock. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and six have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $344.00.

West Pharmaceutical Services Stock Up 7.9 %

Shares of NYSE WST opened at $214.84 on Monday. The company has a market capitalization of $15.56 billion, a P/E ratio of 31.87, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 19.31 and a beta of 1.01. West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. has a 52-week low of $197.01 and a 52-week high of $400.88. 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 company’s 50 day moving average price is $327.86 and its 200-day moving average price is $313.97.

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

West Pharmaceutical Services Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, February 11th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 7th were given a $0.21 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 7th. This represents a $0.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.39%. West Pharmaceutical Services’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 12.56%.

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.