Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upgraded shares of West Pharmaceutical Services (NYSE:WST – Free Report) from a hold rating to a buy rating in a research note issued to investors on Friday, MarketBeat.com reports. They currently have $250.00 price objective on the medical instruments supplier’s stock.
Several other research analysts have also recently weighed in on the stock. UBS Group upgraded shares of West Pharmaceutical Services from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and boosted their price objective for the stock from $350.00 to $390.00 in a research report on Thursday, December 12th. Bank of America boosted their target price on West Pharmaceutical Services from $350.00 to $355.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, December 13th. Citigroup initiated coverage on West Pharmaceutical Services in a report on Wednesday, January 8th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $400.00 price target on the stock. Wolfe Research began coverage on West Pharmaceutical Services in a report on Friday, December 13th. They set a “peer perform” rating for the company. Finally, StockNews.com raised shares of West Pharmaceutical Services from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and six have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $344.00.
Get Our Latest Stock Report on West Pharmaceutical Services
West Pharmaceutical Services Trading Up 7.9 %
West Pharmaceutical Services (NYSE:WST – Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 13th. The medical instruments supplier reported $1.82 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.75 by $0.07. West Pharmaceutical Services had a net margin of 17.37% and a return on equity of 18.41%. Analysts predict that West Pharmaceutical Services will post 6.67 EPS for the current fiscal year.
West Pharmaceutical Services Announces Dividend
The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, February 11th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 7th were given a dividend of $0.21 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 7th. This represents a $0.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.39%. West Pharmaceutical Services’s dividend payout ratio is 12.46%.
Institutional Trading of West Pharmaceutical Services
A number of large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Fiera Capital Corp increased its holdings in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 13.2% in the fourth quarter. Fiera Capital Corp now owns 140,893 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $46,151,000 after acquiring an additional 16,418 shares in the last quarter. Trust Point Inc. increased its stake in West Pharmaceutical Services by 321.0% during the 4th quarter. Trust Point Inc. now owns 3,183 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $1,043,000 after purchasing an additional 2,427 shares in the last quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. raised its holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services by 2.3% during the 3rd quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 91,756 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $27,541,000 after buying an additional 2,037 shares during the period. Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd. lifted its stake in West Pharmaceutical Services by 22.4% in the third quarter. Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 130,345 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $39,124,000 after buying an additional 23,850 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Swedbank AB lifted its stake in West Pharmaceutical Services by 44.6% in the third quarter. Swedbank AB now owns 7,195 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $2,160,000 after buying an additional 2,220 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 93.90% of the company’s stock.
About West Pharmaceutical Services
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.
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