PGGM Investments Decreases Stock Holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST)

PGGM Investments lowered its holdings in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST) by 8.4% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 12,257 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after selling 1,117 shares during the quarter. PGGM Investments’ holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services were worth $4,015,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Farther Finance Advisors LLC grew its position in West Pharmaceutical Services by 5.8% in the fourth quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 978 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $320,000 after acquiring an additional 54 shares in the last quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its stake in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 548.0% in the 4th quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 635 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $208,000 after purchasing an additional 537 shares during the last quarter. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC lifted its stake in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 24.2% in the 4th quarter. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC now owns 1,334 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $437,000 after purchasing an additional 260 shares during the last quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 21.2% in the 4th quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC now owns 10,350 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $3,390,000 after purchasing an additional 1,812 shares during the period. Finally, Inspire Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 19.1% during the 4th quarter. Inspire Advisors LLC now owns 1,927 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $631,000 after purchasing an additional 309 shares during the last quarter. 93.90% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

West Pharmaceutical Services Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:WST opened at $224.01 on Friday. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $289.34 and its 200-day simple moving average is $304.27. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.08, a quick ratio of 2.23 and a current ratio of 2.79. West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. has a one year low of $197.01 and a one year high of $400.88. The firm has a market cap 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.

West Pharmaceutical Services (NYSE:WST) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 13th. The medical instruments supplier reported $1.82 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate 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 for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $739.59 million. As a group, equities analysts predict that West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. will post 6.62 EPS for the current year.

West Pharmaceutical Services Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, May 7th. Investors of record on Wednesday, April 30th will be paid a $0.21 dividend. 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

A number of analysts recently issued reports on WST shares. KeyCorp lowered their price target on West Pharmaceutical Services from $470.00 to $325.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, February 14th. 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 for the company. StockNews.com downgraded shares of West Pharmaceutical Services from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, February 27th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised shares of 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, Bank of America upped their target price on West Pharmaceutical Services from $350.00 to $355.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, December 13th. Two equities research 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, West Pharmaceutical Services presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target 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.