Vienna Powszechne Towarzystwo Emerytalne S.A. Vienna Insurance Group Has $715,000 Stock Holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST)

Vienna Powszechne Towarzystwo Emerytalne S.A. Vienna Insurance Group decreased its position in West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST) by 11.5% during the 1st quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm owned 3,192 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after selling 415 shares during the period. Vienna Powszechne Towarzystwo Emerytalne S.A. Vienna Insurance Group’s holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services were worth $715,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of WST. Forum Financial Management LP bought a new position in West Pharmaceutical Services during the first quarter worth about $269,000. Verdence Capital Advisors LLC raised its stake in West Pharmaceutical Services by 36.0% in the first quarter. Verdence Capital Advisors LLC now owns 3,010 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $674,000 after purchasing an additional 796 shares in the last quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC lifted its position in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 3,428.6% during the 1st quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 2,223 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $498,000 after buying an additional 2,160 shares during the last quarter. Whittier Trust Co. of Nevada Inc. lifted its position in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 4.0% during the 1st quarter. Whittier Trust Co. of Nevada Inc. now owns 23,127 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $5,178,000 after buying an additional 881 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Whittier Trust Co. boosted its holdings in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 2.4% during the 1st quarter. Whittier Trust Co. now owns 44,204 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $9,896,000 after acquiring an additional 1,023 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 93.90% of the company’s stock.

West Pharmaceutical Services Stock Down 2.3%

Shares of WST stock traded down $5.15 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $216.44. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 56,194 shares, compared to its average volume of 734,599. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $218.03 and a 200 day moving average price of $243.18. The stock has a market cap of $15.55 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 33.90, a PEG ratio of 5.52 and a beta of 1.09. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.08, a quick ratio of 2.03 and a current ratio of 2.77. West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. has a 52-week low of $187.43 and a 52-week high of $352.33.

West Pharmaceutical Services (NYSE:WST) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 24th. The medical instruments supplier reported $1.45 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.22 by $0.23. The business had revenue of $698.00 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $685.24 million. West Pharmaceutical Services had a net margin of 16.13% and a return on equity of 18.23%. The company’s revenue was up .4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $1.56 earnings per share. Research analysts predict that West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. will post 6.62 EPS for the current fiscal year.

West Pharmaceutical Services Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, August 6th. Shareholders 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 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.39%. West Pharmaceutical Services’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 13.19%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

WST has been the topic of several recent research reports. Citigroup reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in a report on Thursday, May 22nd. Barclays started coverage on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in a report on Tuesday, June 24th. They issued an “equal weight” rating and a $245.00 price target for the company. Finally, Stephens upgraded shares of West Pharmaceutical Services to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Monday, April 21st. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, six have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $320.00.

West Pharmaceutical Services 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.