West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST) Receives $435.20 Consensus Price Target from Brokerages

West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST) has been given an average rating of “Moderate Buy” by the five ratings firms that are covering the company, Marketbeat reports. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the company. The average 1-year price target among brokerages that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $435.20.

Several research analysts have issued reports on WST shares. StockNews.com cut shares of West Pharmaceutical Services from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, February 16th. Jefferies Financial Group raised West Pharmaceutical Services from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and upped their price objective for the company from $323.00 to $536.00 in a research report on Wednesday, February 7th. UBS Group reduced their target price on West Pharmaceutical Services from $400.00 to $375.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Friday, February 16th. Finally, KeyCorp increased their price objective on West Pharmaceutical Services from $440.00 to $470.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 13th.

Insider Activity at West Pharmaceutical Services

In other news, CAO Chad Winters sold 815 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, March 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $358.82, for a total value of $292,438.30. Following the completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 1,309 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $469,695.38. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. In other West Pharmaceutical Services news, SVP Silji Abraham sold 7,012 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $365.00, for a total transaction of $2,559,380.00. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 4,660 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,700,900. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, CAO Chad Winters sold 815 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, March 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $358.82, for a total transaction of $292,438.30. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 1,309 shares in the company, valued at approximately $469,695.38. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 73,978 shares of company stock worth $26,653,772. 0.53% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On West Pharmaceutical Services

Institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Sunbelt Securities Inc. purchased a new position in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in the first quarter valued at $25,000. Quarry LP increased its holdings in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 155.3% in the 4th quarter. Quarry LP now owns 97 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $34,000 after buying an additional 59 shares during the last quarter. RVW Wealth LLC purchased a new stake in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services during the 3rd quarter valued at about $38,000. Planned Solutions Inc. bought a new position in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in the 4th quarter valued at about $39,000. Finally, First Horizon Advisors Inc. grew its position in West Pharmaceutical Services by 37.4% in the first quarter. First Horizon Advisors Inc. now owns 147 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $51,000 after acquiring an additional 40 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 93.90% of the company’s stock.

West Pharmaceutical Services Price Performance

Shares of West Pharmaceutical Services stock opened at $392.59 on Friday. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $380.68 and its 200-day moving average price is $363.52. The firm has a market capitalization of $28.74 billion, a PE ratio of 49.82, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 6.73 and a beta of 1.04. The company has a current ratio of 2.88, a quick ratio of 2.24 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.03. West Pharmaceutical Services has a 12 month low of $310.42 and a 12 month high of $415.73.

West Pharmaceutical Services (NYSE:WST) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 15th. The medical instruments supplier reported $1.83 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.78 by $0.05. West Pharmaceutical Services had a net margin of 20.12% and a return on equity of 21.60%. The company had revenue of $732.00 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $740.43 million. During the same period last year, the company posted $1.77 EPS. West Pharmaceutical Services’s revenue was up 3.3% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts forecast that West Pharmaceutical Services will post 7.63 EPS for the current fiscal year.

West Pharmaceutical Services Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, May 1st. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, April 24th will be given a dividend of $0.20 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, April 23rd. This represents a $0.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.20%. West Pharmaceutical Services’s payout ratio is currently 10.15%.

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.