Mn Services Vermogensbeheer B.V. Cuts Position in West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST)

Mn Services Vermogensbeheer B.V. decreased its position in West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST) by 3.6% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 35,000 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after selling 1,300 shares during the quarter. Mn Services Vermogensbeheer B.V.’s holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services were worth $12,324,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in WST. Louisiana State Employees Retirement System purchased a new stake in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services during the 4th quarter worth $1,585,000. NewEdge Wealth LLC lifted its holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services by 50.4% during the 4th quarter. NewEdge Wealth LLC now owns 1,242 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $437,000 after buying an additional 416 shares during the last quarter. Cerity Partners LLC boosted its position in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 44.8% during the 4th quarter. Cerity Partners LLC now owns 1,741 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $613,000 after acquiring an additional 539 shares in the last quarter. Impax Asset Management Group plc boosted its position in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 68.7% during the 4th quarter. Impax Asset Management Group plc now owns 1,965 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $692,000 after acquiring an additional 800 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 87.7% during the 4th quarter. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC now owns 1,661 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $585,000 after acquiring an additional 776 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 93.90% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity at West Pharmaceutical Services

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

West Pharmaceutical Services Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:WST opened at $380.00 on Monday. West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. has a one year low of $310.42 and a one year high of $415.73. The stock has a market capitalization of $27.82 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 48.22, a PEG ratio of 6.49 and a beta of 1.04. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $381.45 and a 200-day simple moving average of $363.88. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.03, a quick ratio of 2.24 and a current ratio of 2.88.

West Pharmaceutical Services (NYSE:WST) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, February 15th. The medical instruments supplier reported $1.83 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate 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 for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $740.43 million. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $1.77 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 3.3% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, analysts predict that West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. will post 7.63 EPS for the current year.

West Pharmaceutical Services Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, May 1st. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, April 24th will be paid a dividend of $0.20 per share. This represents a $0.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.21%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, April 23rd. West Pharmaceutical Services’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 10.15%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

WST has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. StockNews.com downgraded West Pharmaceutical Services from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, February 16th. UBS Group cut their price target on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services from $400.00 to $375.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, February 16th. Jefferies Financial Group raised West Pharmaceutical Services from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and raised their price objective for the stock from $323.00 to $536.00 in a report on Wednesday, February 7th. Finally, KeyCorp lifted their target price on West Pharmaceutical Services from $440.00 to $470.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 13th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $435.20.

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.