West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST) Shares Purchased by Conestoga Capital Advisors LLC

Conestoga Capital Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST) by 59.7% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 67,187 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after buying an additional 25,110 shares during the quarter. Conestoga Capital Advisors LLC’s holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services were worth $22,008,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. State Street Corp raised its position in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 0.3% in the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 3,214,448 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $964,850,000 after acquiring an additional 10,060 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services by 0.7% in the third quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 1,740,183 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $520,569,000 after purchasing an additional 12,850 shares during the period. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC increased its position in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 21.8% in the third quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 683,350 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $205,114,000 after buying an additional 122,361 shares in the last quarter. FMR LLC raised its stake in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 199.4% during the 3rd quarter. FMR LLC now owns 595,775 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $178,828,000 after buying an additional 396,780 shares during the period. Finally, Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. lifted its position in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 1.5% during the 3rd quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 448,184 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $134,527,000 after buying an additional 6,756 shares in the last quarter. 93.90% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

West Pharmaceutical Services Trading Down 0.6 %

NYSE WST opened at $339.63 on Monday. West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. has a 52-week low of $265.00 and a 52-week high of $413.70. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $331.42 and a 200 day moving average price of $314.03. The stock has a market capitalization of $24.60 billion, a P/E ratio of 50.44, a P/E/G 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 Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, February 11th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 7th will be given a dividend of $0.21 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 7th. This represents a $0.84 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.25%. West Pharmaceutical Services’s payout ratio is currently 12.46%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

WST has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. Bank of America upped their price objective on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services from $350.00 to $355.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, December 13th. Wolfe Research assumed coverage on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in a research note 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 objective for the stock from $350.00 to $390.00 in a research note on Thursday, December 12th. StockNews.com upgraded West Pharmaceutical Services from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday. Finally, Citigroup began coverage on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in a research note on Wednesday, January 8th. They set a “buy” rating and a $400.00 price objective for the company. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and six have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target 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.