Fulcrum Capital LLC Has $2.76 Million Stock Holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST)

Fulcrum Capital LLC boosted its position in West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST) by 3.8% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 8,429 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after acquiring an additional 305 shares during the period. Fulcrum Capital LLC’s holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services were worth $2,761,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Czech National Bank increased its position in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 6.3% during the fourth quarter. Czech National Bank now owns 15,703 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $5,144,000 after acquiring an additional 926 shares during the last quarter. Hilltop National Bank increased its position in West Pharmaceutical Services by 47.9% in the fourth quarter. Hilltop National Bank now owns 216 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $71,000 after buying an additional 70 shares during the last quarter. Fulton Bank N.A. increased its position in West Pharmaceutical Services by 9.8% in the fourth quarter. Fulton Bank N.A. now owns 1,149 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $376,000 after buying an additional 103 shares during the last quarter. Diversified Trust Co increased its position in West Pharmaceutical Services by 9.0% in the fourth quarter. Diversified Trust Co now owns 2,354 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $771,000 after buying an additional 194 shares during the last quarter. Finally, CWA Asset Management Group LLC boosted its holdings in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 9.4% in the fourth quarter. CWA Asset Management Group LLC now owns 778 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $255,000 after acquiring an additional 67 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 93.90% of the company’s stock.

West Pharmaceutical Services Stock Performance

WST traded up $7.19 during mid-day trading on Monday, reaching $338.92. 245,917 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 412,358. The stock has a market capitalization of $24.55 billion, a P/E ratio of 50.28, a P/E/G ratio of 25.04 and a beta of 1.00. The company has a quick ratio of 2.23, a current ratio of 3.00 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.07. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $325.89 and its 200-day moving average price is $312.34. West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. has a 52-week low of $265.00 and a 52-week high of $413.70.

West Pharmaceutical Services (NYSE:WST) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 24th. The medical instruments supplier reported $1.85 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.50 by $0.35. The firm had revenue of $746.90 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $709.62 million. West Pharmaceutical Services had a return on equity of 18.41% and a net margin of 17.37%. West Pharmaceutical Services’s revenue was down .1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $2.16 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts expect that West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. will post 6.64 EPS for the current year.

West Pharmaceutical Services Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, November 20th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, November 13th were paid a $0.21 dividend. This represents a $0.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.25%. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, November 13th. This is a positive change from West Pharmaceutical Services’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.20. West Pharmaceutical Services’s dividend payout ratio is presently 12.46%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other West Pharmaceutical Services news, VP Charles Witherspoon sold 703 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, October 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $310.40, for a total transaction of $218,211.20. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now owns 1,253 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $388,931.20. This represents a 35.94 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. 0.53% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms recently issued reports on WST. Bank of America lifted their price objective 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. Wolfe Research initiated coverage on West Pharmaceutical Services in a report on Friday, December 13th. They issued a “peer perform” rating on the stock. UBS Group upgraded West Pharmaceutical Services from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and boosted their price target for the company from $350.00 to $390.00 in a report on Thursday, December 12th. Finally, Citigroup initiated coverage on West Pharmaceutical Services in a report on Wednesday, January 8th. They set a “buy” rating and a $400.00 target price on the stock. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $430.20.

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.