West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST) Shares Bought by Oarsman Capital Inc.

Oarsman Capital Inc. raised its stake in West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST) by 29.9% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 478 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after purchasing an additional 110 shares during the period. Oarsman Capital Inc.’s holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services were worth $157,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the stock. Resona Asset Management Co. Ltd. acquired a new stake in West Pharmaceutical Services during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $8,994,000. Prudential PLC raised its position in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 66.9% during the 4th quarter. Prudential PLC now owns 16,863 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $5,524,000 after acquiring an additional 6,761 shares in the last quarter. Pitcairn Co. lifted its stake in West Pharmaceutical Services by 43.2% during the fourth quarter. Pitcairn Co. now owns 7,502 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $2,457,000 after purchasing an additional 2,263 shares during the last quarter. ExodusPoint Capital Management LP acquired a new position in West Pharmaceutical Services in the fourth quarter worth $18,908,000. Finally, OneAscent Financial Services LLC bought a new stake in West Pharmaceutical Services during the fourth quarter valued at $251,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 93.90% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. UBS Group upgraded shares of West Pharmaceutical Services from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and raised their price target for the stock from $350.00 to $390.00 in a research report on Thursday, December 12th. Evercore ISI started coverage on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in a report on Tuesday, March 18th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $275.00 target price on the stock. 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 research note on Friday, December 13th. Citigroup initiated coverage on West Pharmaceutical Services in a research report on Wednesday, January 8th. They set a “buy” rating and a $400.00 price target on the stock. Finally, KeyCorp reduced their price objective 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. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $332.50.

West Pharmaceutical Services Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:WST opened at $203.00 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 2.79, a quick ratio of 2.23 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.08. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $251.41 and its two-hundred day moving average is $294.99. The firm has a market capitalization of $14.68 billion, a P/E ratio of 30.34, a PEG ratio of 6.74 and a beta of 1.22. West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. has a 52 week low of $197.01 and a 52 week high of $396.75.

West Pharmaceutical Services (NYSE:WST) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, February 13th. The medical instruments supplier reported $1.82 EPS for the quarter, beating 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 firm had revenue of $748.80 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $739.59 million. Analysts anticipate that West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. will post 6.62 earnings per share for the current year.

West Pharmaceutical Services Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, May 7th. Investors of record on Wednesday, April 30th will be issued a $0.21 dividend. This represents a $0.84 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.41%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, April 30th. West Pharmaceutical Services’s payout ratio is currently 12.56%.

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.