Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH Has $10.05 Million Holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST)

Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH lowered its position in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST) by 0.2% during the first quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 44,882 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after selling 83 shares during the quarter. Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH owned 0.06% of West Pharmaceutical Services worth $10,048,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors have also made changes to their positions in WST. Teacher Retirement System of Texas acquired a new stake in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $222,000. LPL Financial LLC raised its holdings in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 25.4% during the fourth quarter. LPL Financial LLC now owns 65,757 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $21,539,000 after acquiring an additional 13,301 shares during the period. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. raised its holdings in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 3.8% during the fourth quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 128,678 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $43,179,000 after acquiring an additional 4,699 shares during the period. WINTON GROUP Ltd raised its holdings in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 38.0% during the fourth quarter. WINTON GROUP Ltd now owns 3,562 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $1,167,000 after acquiring an additional 981 shares during the period. Finally, UniSuper Management Pty Ltd raised its holdings in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 18.2% during the fourth quarter. UniSuper Management Pty Ltd now owns 8,159 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $2,673,000 after acquiring an additional 1,259 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 93.90% of the company’s stock.

West Pharmaceutical Services Stock Performance

Shares of WST opened at $263.32 on Friday. The company’s fifty day moving average is $220.56 and its 200-day moving average is $239.22. West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. has a 12 month low of $187.43 and a 12 month high of $352.33. The firm has a market cap of $18.92 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 39.42, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 6.28 and a beta of 1.09. The company has a quick ratio of 2.03, a current ratio of 2.77 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.08.

West Pharmaceutical Services (NYSE:WST) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 24th. The medical instruments supplier reported $1.84 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.51 by $0.33. West Pharmaceutical Services had a net margin of 16.48% and a return on equity of 18.81%. The company had revenue of $766.50 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $725.11 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $1.52 EPS. West Pharmaceutical Services’s quarterly revenue was up 9.2% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts expect that West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. will post 6.62 EPS for the current fiscal year.

West Pharmaceutical Services Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, November 19th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, November 12th will be paid a dividend of $0.22 per share. This is a positive change from West Pharmaceutical Services’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.21. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, November 12th. This represents a $0.88 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.33%. West Pharmaceutical Services’s dividend payout ratio is 13.19%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts have weighed in on WST shares. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of West Pharmaceutical Services from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Saturday. UBS Group upped their price objective on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services from $285.00 to $320.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday. Barclays started coverage on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in a research note on Tuesday, June 24th. They issued an “equal weight” rating and a $245.00 price objective on the stock. Stephens upgraded shares of West Pharmaceutical Services to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Monday, April 21st. Finally, Evercore ISI upped their price objective on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services from $275.00 to $350.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, West Pharmaceutical Services presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $320.71.

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.