Gulf International Bank UK Ltd Has $812,000 Stock Position in West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST)

Gulf International Bank UK Ltd lessened its holdings in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST) by 37.5% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 3,628 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after selling 2,174 shares during the quarter. Gulf International Bank UK Ltd’s holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services were worth $812,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Zions Bancorporation National Association UT acquired a new stake in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services during the first quarter worth about $25,000. First Horizon Advisors Inc. increased its stake in West Pharmaceutical Services by 85.0% during the 1st quarter. First Horizon Advisors Inc. now owns 185 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $41,000 after purchasing an additional 85 shares in the last quarter. Opal Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in West Pharmaceutical Services during the 1st quarter worth approximately $53,000. Whipplewood Advisors LLC lifted its stake in West Pharmaceutical Services by 248.0% in the first quarter. Whipplewood Advisors LLC now owns 261 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $58,000 after buying an additional 186 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Exchange Traded Concepts LLC boosted its holdings in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 38.5% in the first quarter. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC now owns 331 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $74,000 after buying an additional 92 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 93.90% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

WST has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. Citigroup restated a “buy” rating on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in a report on Thursday, May 22nd. Stephens raised West Pharmaceutical Services to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Monday, April 21st. Evercore ISI increased their price objective on West Pharmaceutical Services from $275.00 to $350.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, July 25th. Barclays assumed coverage on West Pharmaceutical Services in a research note on Tuesday, June 24th. They issued an “equal weight” rating and a $245.00 target price on the stock. Finally, Wall Street Zen raised shares of West Pharmaceutical Services from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Saturday, July 26th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $320.71.

West Pharmaceutical Services Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE WST opened at $246.16 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.07, a quick ratio of 2.08 and a current ratio of 2.78. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $230.05 and a 200 day moving average price of $228.59. The stock has a market capitalization of $17.70 billion, a PE ratio of 36.85, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.36 and a beta of 1.05. 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 released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 24th. The medical instruments supplier reported $1.84 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.51 by $0.33. The company had revenue of $766.50 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $725.11 million. West Pharmaceutical Services had a return on equity of 18.43% and a net margin of 16.48%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 9.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $1.52 EPS. Analysts predict that West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. will post 6.62 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

West Pharmaceutical Services Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, November 19th. Investors of record on Wednesday, November 12th will be paid a $0.22 dividend. This is an increase from West Pharmaceutical Services’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.21. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, November 12th. This represents a $0.88 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.4%. West Pharmaceutical Services’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 12.57%.

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.