Mackenzie Financial Corp Raises Stock Holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST)

Mackenzie Financial Corp increased its position in West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST) by 9.1% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 7,564 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after purchasing an additional 634 shares during the period. Mackenzie Financial Corp’s holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services were worth $2,478,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Quadrant Capital Group LLC grew its stake in West Pharmaceutical Services by 5.4% in the fourth quarter. Quadrant Capital Group LLC now owns 626 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $205,000 after purchasing an additional 32 shares during the period. Baron Wealth Management LLC grew its stake in West Pharmaceutical Services by 1.9% in the fourth quarter. Baron Wealth Management LLC now owns 1,926 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $631,000 after purchasing an additional 35 shares during the period. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC grew its stake in West Pharmaceutical Services by 18.9% in the fourth quarter. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC now owns 239 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $78,000 after purchasing an additional 38 shares during the period. Lake Street Advisors Group LLC grew its stake in West Pharmaceutical Services by 5.8% in the fourth quarter. Lake Street Advisors Group LLC now owns 711 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $233,000 after purchasing an additional 39 shares during the period. Finally, Cornerstone Planning Group LLC grew its stake in 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 worth $38,000 after purchasing an additional 40 shares during the period. 93.90% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

West Pharmaceutical Services Trading Down 0.6%

West Pharmaceutical Services stock opened at $210.13 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.08, a current ratio of 2.79 and a quick ratio of 2.23. West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. has a one year low of $187.43 and a one year high of $352.33. The stock has a market capitalization of $15.10 billion, a PE ratio of 31.41, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 6.74 and a beta of 1.14. The business’s fifty day moving average is $211.50 and its 200 day moving average is $268.27.

West Pharmaceutical Services (NYSE:WST) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 24th. The medical instruments supplier reported $1.45 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.22 by $0.23. West Pharmaceutical Services had a return on equity of 18.60% and a net margin of 17.03%. The company had revenue of $698.00 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $685.24 million. During the same period last year, the firm posted $1.56 earnings per share. West Pharmaceutical Services’s revenue was up .4% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, sell-side analysts predict that West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. will post 6.62 EPS for the current year.

West Pharmaceutical Services Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, August 6th. Investors of record on Wednesday, July 30th will be given a dividend of $0.21 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, July 30th. This represents a $0.84 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.40%. West Pharmaceutical Services’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 13.19%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

WST has been the topic of several analyst reports. 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 report on Friday, February 14th. KeyCorp cut their target price on West Pharmaceutical Services from $470.00 to $325.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, February 14th. Wall Street Zen cut West Pharmaceutical Services from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 27th. Evercore ISI started coverage on West Pharmaceutical Services in a research note on Tuesday, March 18th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $275.00 target price on the stock. Finally, Citigroup reissued a “buy” rating on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in a research note on Thursday, May 22nd. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, six have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, West Pharmaceutical Services presently has a consensus 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.