West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST) Shares Sold by Deutsche Bank AG

Deutsche Bank AG lessened its stake in West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST) by 1.8% in the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund owned 260,833 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after selling 4,916 shares during the period. Deutsche Bank AG’s holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services were worth $85,438,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Fiera Capital Corp increased its position in West Pharmaceutical Services by 13.2% during the fourth quarter. Fiera Capital Corp now owns 140,893 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $46,151,000 after buying an additional 16,418 shares during the period. Trust Point Inc. increased its holdings in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 321.0% in the 4th quarter. Trust Point Inc. now owns 3,183 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $1,043,000 after acquiring an additional 2,427 shares during the period. Savant Capital LLC raised its position in West Pharmaceutical Services by 15.0% in the 4th quarter. Savant Capital LLC now owns 1,003 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $329,000 after purchasing an additional 131 shares during the last quarter. Avanza Fonder AB acquired a new stake in West Pharmaceutical Services during the 4th quarter worth $2,553,000. Finally, Tokio Marine Asset Management Co. Ltd. grew its position in West Pharmaceutical Services by 904.2% during the 4th quarter. Tokio Marine Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 21,941 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $7,187,000 after purchasing an additional 19,756 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 93.90% of the company’s stock.

West Pharmaceutical Services Stock Performance

Shares of WST stock opened at $213.39 on Monday. The company has a current ratio of 2.79, a quick ratio of 2.23 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.08. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $216.55 and a 200-day simple moving average of $277.99. The company has a market cap of $15.33 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 31.90, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 6.74 and a beta of 1.14. West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. has a 12-month low of $187.43 and a 12-month high of $367.71.

West Pharmaceutical Services (NYSE:WST) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 24th. The medical instruments supplier reported $1.45 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.22 by $0.23. The firm had revenue of $698.00 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $685.24 million. West Pharmaceutical Services had a return on equity of 18.60% and a net margin of 17.03%. West Pharmaceutical Services’s revenue was up .4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $1.56 earnings per share. On average, equities analysts forecast that West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. will post 6.62 EPS for the current year.

West Pharmaceutical Services Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, August 6th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, July 30th will be given a $0.21 dividend. This represents a $0.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.39%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, July 30th. West Pharmaceutical Services’s dividend payout ratio is currently 13.19%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. StockNews.com downgraded shares of West Pharmaceutical Services from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 27th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised West Pharmaceutical Services from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $250.00 price objective for the company in a research report on Friday, February 14th. Stephens raised West Pharmaceutical Services to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Monday, April 21st. Evercore ISI initiated coverage on West Pharmaceutical Services in a report on Tuesday, March 18th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $275.00 price target for the company. Finally, KeyCorp dropped their price objective on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services from $470.00 to $325.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, February 14th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, six have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, West Pharmaceutical Services currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $332.50.

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.