Impax Asset Management Group plc Increases Stock Position in West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST)

Impax Asset Management Group plc raised its position in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST) by 34.2% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 4,116 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after buying an additional 1,049 shares during the period. Impax Asset Management Group plc’s holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services were worth $1,348,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Retirement Wealth Solutions LLC purchased a new stake in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in the 4th quarter worth about $34,000. Centricity Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in the 4th quarter worth about $35,000. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC increased its stake in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 57.1% in the 4th quarter. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC now owns 110 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $38,000 after acquiring an additional 40 shares in the last quarter. Brooklyn Investment Group bought a new position in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in the 3rd quarter worth about $41,000. Finally, IFP Advisors Inc increased its stake in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 150.9% in the 4th quarter. IFP Advisors Inc now owns 133 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $45,000 after acquiring an additional 80 shares in the last quarter. 93.90% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

WST has been the subject of several research reports. Wolfe Research initiated coverage on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in a research note on Friday, December 13th. They issued a “peer perform” rating for the company. StockNews.com lowered shares of West Pharmaceutical Services from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 19th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upgraded shares of West Pharmaceutical Services from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $250.00 price target for the company in a research note on Friday, February 14th. Citigroup began coverage on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in a research note on Wednesday, January 8th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $400.00 price target for the company. Finally, Bank of America raised their price objective on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services from $350.00 to $355.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, December 13th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $344.00.

West Pharmaceutical Services Trading Down 0.3 %

Shares of WST opened at $220.34 on Wednesday. The stock has a market capitalization of $15.93 billion, a PE ratio of 32.94, a P/E/G ratio of 6.74 and a beta of 1.01. West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $197.01 and a fifty-two week high of $400.88. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.08, a quick ratio of 2.23 and a current ratio of 2.79. The company’s fifty day moving average is $311.82 and its 200 day moving average is $309.75.

West Pharmaceutical Services (NYSE:WST) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, February 13th. The medical instruments supplier reported $1.82 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.75 by $0.07. West Pharmaceutical Services had a net margin of 17.03% and a return on equity of 18.60%. The firm had revenue of $748.80 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $739.59 million. Sell-side analysts expect that West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. will post 6.62 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

West Pharmaceutical Services Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, May 7th. Investors of record on Wednesday, April 30th will be paid a $0.21 dividend. This represents a $0.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.38%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, April 30th. West Pharmaceutical Services’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 12.56%.

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.