Desjardins Global Asset Management Inc. Sells 270 Shares of West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST)

Desjardins Global Asset Management Inc. lessened its holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST) by 36.4% during the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund owned 472 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after selling 270 shares during the period. Desjardins Global Asset Management Inc.’s holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services were worth $166,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Sunbelt Securities Inc. bought a new position in West Pharmaceutical Services in the first quarter valued at about $25,000. RVW Wealth LLC bought a new position in West Pharmaceutical Services in the third quarter valued at about $38,000. Planned Solutions Inc. bought a new position in West Pharmaceutical Services in the fourth quarter valued at about $39,000. 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 valued at $51,000 after acquiring an additional 40 shares during the last quarter. Finally, International Assets Investment Management LLC bought a new position in West Pharmaceutical Services in the third quarter valued at about $53,000. Institutional investors own 93.90% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, VP Charles Witherspoon sold 2,019 shares of West Pharmaceutical Services stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $358.62, for a total value of $724,053.78. Following the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 1,979 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $709,708.98. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. 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 value of $292,438.30. Following the transaction, 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 legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, VP Charles Witherspoon sold 2,019 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $358.62, for a total value of $724,053.78. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 1,979 shares in the company, valued at $709,708.98. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 73,978 shares of company stock valued at $26,653,772 over the last ninety days. 0.53% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

West Pharmaceutical Services Stock Performance

Shares of WST stock opened at $377.35 on Friday. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $379.31 and its 200-day moving average price is $364.10. West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. has a 12 month low of $310.42 and a 12 month high of $415.73. The firm has a market capitalization of $27.63 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 47.89, a PEG ratio of 6.45 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 (NYSE:WST) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 15th. The medical instruments supplier reported $1.83 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.78 by $0.05. The company had revenue of $732.00 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $740.43 million. West Pharmaceutical Services had a return on equity of 21.60% and a net margin of 20.12%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 3.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $1.77 earnings per share. Equities research analysts forecast that West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. will post 7.62 EPS for the current year.

West Pharmaceutical Services Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, May 1st. Investors of record on Wednesday, April 24th will be paid a $0.20 dividend. This represents a $0.80 dividend on an annualized basis 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 is currently 10.15%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts have issued reports on WST shares. StockNews.com cut West Pharmaceutical Services from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, February 16th. UBS Group cut their price target on 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 lifted their price target for the company from $323.00 to $536.00 in a research note on Wednesday, February 7th. Finally, KeyCorp lifted their price target on West Pharmaceutical Services from $440.00 to $470.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note 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. According to data from MarketBeat.com, West Pharmaceutical Services presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average 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.