Global X Japan Co. Ltd. Purchases 270 Shares of West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST)

Global X Japan Co. Ltd. raised its position in West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST) by 20.7% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 1,573 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after buying an additional 270 shares during the quarter. Global X Japan Co. Ltd.’s holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services were worth $515,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Sanctuary Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in West Pharmaceutical Services during the second quarter valued at about $1,355,000. Czech National Bank lifted its stake in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 6.5% during the 3rd quarter. Czech National Bank now owns 14,777 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $4,435,000 after buying an additional 896 shares in the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC grew its stake in West Pharmaceutical Services by 56.3% in the 3rd quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 858 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $258,000 after buying an additional 309 shares in the last quarter. Diversified Trust Co raised its holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services by 32.8% during the 3rd quarter. Diversified Trust Co now owns 2,160 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $648,000 after acquiring an additional 534 shares during the period. Finally, Mather Group LLC. lifted its position in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 10.8% during the third quarter. Mather Group LLC. now owns 1,466 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $440,000 after acquiring an additional 143 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 93.90% of the company’s stock.

West Pharmaceutical Services Stock Performance

Shares of WST stock opened at $330.53 on Friday. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $332.39 and a 200 day moving average of $314.53. The firm has a market capitalization of $23.94 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 49.04, a PEG ratio of 19.82 and a beta of 1.01. The company has a quick ratio of 2.23, a current ratio of 3.00 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.07. West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. has a 52 week low of $265.00 and a 52 week high of $413.70.

West Pharmaceutical Services Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, February 11th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 7th will be issued a $0.21 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 7th. This represents a $0.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.25%. West Pharmaceutical Services’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 12.46%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts have weighed in on the company. 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 report on Friday, December 13th. UBS Group raised shares of West Pharmaceutical Services from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and upped their target price for the stock from $350.00 to $390.00 in a report on Thursday, December 12th. Citigroup started coverage on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in a research note on Wednesday, January 8th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $400.00 target price on the stock. Wolfe Research began coverage on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in a report on Friday, December 13th. They issued a “peer perform” rating on the stock. Finally, StockNews.com upgraded West Pharmaceutical Services from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, January 31st. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and six have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $430.20.

West Pharmaceutical Services 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.