TAP Consulting LLC Purchases 486 Shares of West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST)

TAP Consulting LLC increased its holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST) by 4.8% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 10,562 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after purchasing an additional 486 shares during the period. TAP Consulting LLC’s holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services were worth $3,460,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of WST. Whipplewood Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services during the fourth quarter worth approximately $25,000. Retirement Wealth Solutions LLC bought a new position in West Pharmaceutical Services during the fourth quarter worth about $34,000. Centricity Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $35,000. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC boosted its holdings in shares of 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 buying an additional 40 shares during the period. Finally, IFP Advisors Inc increased its holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services by 150.9% during the 4th quarter. IFP Advisors Inc now owns 133 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $45,000 after purchasing an additional 80 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 93.90% of the company’s stock.

West Pharmaceutical Services Stock Down 1.8 %

Shares of WST opened at $230.14 on Thursday. The company has a market capitalization of $16.64 billion, a PE ratio of 34.40, a PEG ratio of 6.74 and a beta of 1.09. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $279.03 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $301.60. The company has a current ratio of 2.79, a quick ratio of 2.23 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.08. West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. has a 12 month low of $197.01 and a 12 month high of $400.88.

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

West Pharmaceutical Services Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, May 7th. Investors of record on Wednesday, April 30th will be given a $0.21 dividend. This represents a $0.84 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.37%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, April 30th. West Pharmaceutical Services’s payout ratio is currently 12.56%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts recently issued reports on WST shares. StockNews.com downgraded West Pharmaceutical Services from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 27th. Citigroup assumed coverage on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in a research report on Wednesday, January 8th. They set a “buy” rating and a $400.00 price objective for the company. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised West Pharmaceutical Services from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $250.00 target price on the stock in a research report on Friday, February 14th. UBS Group raised West Pharmaceutical Services from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and lifted their price target for the stock from $350.00 to $390.00 in a report on Thursday, December 12th. Finally, Evercore ISI started coverage on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in a research report on Tuesday. They set an “outperform” rating and a $275.00 target price on the stock. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, West Pharmaceutical Services presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $332.50.

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.