Van ECK Associates Corp Buys 226 Shares of West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST)

Van ECK Associates Corp grew its stake in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST) by 2.1% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 10,739 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after buying an additional 226 shares during the period. Van ECK Associates Corp’s holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services were worth $3,781,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Chase Investment Counsel Corp bought a new position in West Pharmaceutical Services during the fourth quarter worth about $366,000. Addison Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services by 28.9% during the fourth quarter. Addison Advisors LLC now owns 183 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $64,000 after buying an additional 41 shares during the last quarter. Bank Julius Baer & Co. Ltd Zurich bought a new position in West Pharmaceutical Services during the fourth quarter worth about $2,890,000. Stevens Capital Management LP bought a new position in West Pharmaceutical Services during the fourth quarter worth about $1,953,000. Finally, Pittenger & Anderson Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 22.8% during the 4th quarter. Pittenger & Anderson Inc. now owns 1,699 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $598,000 after purchasing an additional 315 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 93.90% of the company’s stock.

West Pharmaceutical Services Stock Down 0.9 %

Shares of West Pharmaceutical Services stock opened at $365.02 on Monday. The business’s 50 day simple moving average is $377.90 and its 200 day simple moving average is $363.10. West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. has a 52-week low of $310.42 and a 52-week high of $415.73. The firm has a market cap of $26.59 billion, a PE ratio of 48.16, a P/E/G ratio of 6.43 and a beta of 1.05. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.03, a quick ratio of 1.95 and a current ratio of 2.61.

West Pharmaceutical Services (NYSE:WST) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, April 25th. The medical instruments supplier reported $1.56 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.29 by $0.27. West Pharmaceutical Services had a return on equity of 20.57% and a net margin of 19.42%. The business had revenue of $695.40 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $670.62 million. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $1.98 EPS. West Pharmaceutical Services’s revenue for the quarter was down 3.0% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, analysts predict that West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. will post 7.78 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

West Pharmaceutical Services Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, August 7th. Investors of record on Wednesday, July 31st will be given a $0.20 dividend. This represents a $0.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.22%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, July 31st. West Pharmaceutical Services’s dividend payout ratio is presently 10.55%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms have recently weighed in on WST. Jefferies Financial Group upgraded West Pharmaceutical Services from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and lifted their price objective for the company from $323.00 to $536.00 in a report on Wednesday, February 7th. StockNews.com cut West Pharmaceutical Services from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, February 16th. UBS Group cut their price objective on West Pharmaceutical Services from $400.00 to $375.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, February 16th. Finally, KeyCorp lifted their price objective on West Pharmaceutical Services from $440.00 to $470.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 13th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $435.20.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other West Pharmaceutical Services news, CAO Chad Winters sold 815 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 transaction, the chief accounting officer now owns 1,309 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $469,695.38. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. In other West Pharmaceutical Services news, VP Charles Witherspoon sold 2,019 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $358.62, for a total transaction of $724,053.78. Following the transaction, the vice president now owns 1,979 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $709,708.98. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CAO Chad Winters sold 815 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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. Insiders have sold 73,978 shares of company stock valued at $26,653,772 in the last 90 days. 0.53% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

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.