Forsta AP Fonden Cuts Stock Holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST)

Forsta AP Fonden reduced its stake in West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST) by 1.8% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 16,300 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after selling 300 shares during the period. Forsta AP Fonden’s holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services were worth $5,339,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the stock. Northwest Investment Counselors LLC bought a new stake in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in the third quarter worth about $30,000. Retirement Wealth Solutions LLC bought a new stake in West Pharmaceutical Services in the 4th quarter worth approximately $34,000. Brooklyn Investment Group purchased a new stake in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $41,000. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB boosted its position in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 60.8% during the 4th quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB now owns 209 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $68,000 after acquiring an additional 79 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Hilltop National Bank grew its holdings in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 47.9% in the fourth quarter. Hilltop National Bank now owns 216 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $71,000 after purchasing an additional 70 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 93.90% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms have commented on WST. Bank of America increased 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 report on Friday, December 13th. UBS Group raised shares of West Pharmaceutical Services from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and increased their price target for the company from $350.00 to $390.00 in a report on Thursday, December 12th. StockNews.com raised West Pharmaceutical Services from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday. Wolfe Research began coverage on West Pharmaceutical Services in a research note on Friday, December 13th. They issued a “peer perform” rating for the company. Finally, Citigroup began coverage on West Pharmaceutical Services in a research report on Wednesday, January 8th. They set a “buy” rating and a $400.00 target price on the stock. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and six have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $430.20.

West Pharmaceutical Services Trading Down 0.6 %

WST opened at $341.88 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.07, a quick ratio of 2.23 and a current ratio of 3.00. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $331.42 and its 200-day moving average price is $314.23. West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. has a one year low of $265.00 and a one year high of $413.70. The stock has a market cap of $24.76 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 50.72, a P/E/G ratio of 19.71 and a beta of 1.00.

West Pharmaceutical Services Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, February 11th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 7th will be given a $0.21 dividend. This represents a $0.84 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.25%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 7th. West Pharmaceutical Services’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 12.46%.

West Pharmaceutical Services Company 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.