CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC Sells 112 Shares of West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST)

CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC reduced its stake in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST) by 1.7% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 6,664 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after selling 112 shares during the quarter. CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC’s holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services were worth $2,245,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the company. Whipplewood Advisors LLC acquired a new position in West Pharmaceutical Services during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Retirement Wealth Solutions LLC acquired a new position in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in the 4th quarter valued at $34,000. Centricity Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in West Pharmaceutical Services during the fourth quarter worth about $35,000. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC grew its stake in West Pharmaceutical Services by 57.1% in the fourth quarter. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC now owns 110 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $38,000 after acquiring an additional 40 shares during the period. Finally, IFP Advisors Inc raised its position in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 150.9% during the fourth quarter. IFP Advisors Inc now owns 133 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $45,000 after purchasing an additional 80 shares during the period. 93.90% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

West Pharmaceutical Services Stock Up 0.6 %

NYSE:WST opened at $221.49 on Thursday. The firm has a market capitalization of $16.01 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 33.11, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 6.74 and a beta of 1.09. The company has a quick ratio of 2.23, a current ratio of 2.79 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.08. West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. has a twelve month low of $197.01 and a twelve month high of $396.75. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $256.73 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $296.18.

West Pharmaceutical Services (NYSE:WST) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 13th. The medical instruments supplier reported $1.82 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.75 by $0.07. The firm had revenue of $748.80 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $739.59 million. West Pharmaceutical Services had a net margin of 17.03% and a return on equity of 18.60%. Equities research analysts expect that West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. will post 6.62 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

West Pharmaceutical Services Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, May 7th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, April 30th will be paid a $0.21 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, April 30th. This represents a $0.84 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.38%. West Pharmaceutical Services’s dividend payout ratio is 12.56%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

WST has been the topic of several research analyst reports. Wolfe Research began coverage on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in a report on Friday, December 13th. They set a “peer perform” rating on the stock. KeyCorp dropped their price target 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. Evercore ISI initiated coverage on West Pharmaceutical Services in a research report on Tuesday, March 18th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $275.00 price objective for the company. Citigroup began coverage on West Pharmaceutical Services in a research report on Wednesday, January 8th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $400.00 target price on the stock. Finally, StockNews.com downgraded West Pharmaceutical Services from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 27th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $332.50.

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.