West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST) Stock Holdings Boosted by Oarsman Capital Inc.

Oarsman Capital Inc. grew its position in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST) by 29.9% during the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm 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 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Public Sector Pension Investment Board raised its position in West Pharmaceutical Services by 10.8% in the third quarter. Public Sector Pension Investment Board now owns 3,088 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $927,000 after acquiring an additional 300 shares in the last quarter. Captrust Financial Advisors raised its holdings in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 27.1% in the 3rd quarter. Captrust Financial Advisors now owns 5,934 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $1,781,000 after purchasing an additional 1,265 shares in the last quarter. Verition Fund Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 369.0% in the 3rd quarter. Verition Fund Management LLC now owns 5,168 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $1,551,000 after purchasing an additional 4,066 shares in the last quarter. Benjamin Edwards Inc. lifted its stake in West Pharmaceutical Services by 248.3% during the third quarter. Benjamin Edwards Inc. now owns 1,926 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $578,000 after purchasing an additional 1,373 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Royal London Asset Management Ltd. boosted its holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services by 1.4% during the third quarter. Royal London Asset Management Ltd. now owns 32,060 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $9,623,000 after buying an additional 454 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 93.90% of the company’s stock.

West Pharmaceutical Services Trading Down 7.7 %

Shares of NYSE WST opened at $203.00 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $14.68 billion, a PE ratio of 30.34, a PEG ratio of 6.74 and a beta of 1.22. West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. has a one year low of $197.01 and a one year high of $396.75. 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 business has a 50-day moving average price of $251.41 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $294.99.

West Pharmaceutical Services (NYSE:WST) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 13th. The medical instruments supplier reported $1.82 EPS for the quarter, beating 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 firm had revenue of $748.80 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $739.59 million. As a group, analysts predict that West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. will post 6.62 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

West Pharmaceutical Services Announces Dividend

The company 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 dividend of $0.21 per share. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, April 30th. This represents a $0.84 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.41%. West Pharmaceutical Services’s dividend payout ratio is 12.56%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts have recently commented on WST shares. UBS Group upgraded West Pharmaceutical Services from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and increased their price objective for the company from $350.00 to $390.00 in a research report on Thursday, December 12th. Wolfe Research started coverage on West Pharmaceutical Services in a research report on Friday, December 13th. They issued a “peer perform” rating for the company. Citigroup assumed coverage on West Pharmaceutical Services in a research note on Wednesday, January 8th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $400.00 price target on the stock. KeyCorp reduced their price objective on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services from $470.00 to $325.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, February 14th. Finally, StockNews.com lowered shares of West Pharmaceutical Services from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, February 27th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $332.50.

West Pharmaceutical Services Company 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.