ProShare Advisors LLC Reduces Holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST)

ProShare Advisors LLC trimmed its position in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST) by 48.0% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 577,968 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after selling 533,588 shares during the quarter. ProShare Advisors LLC owned approximately 0.80% of West Pharmaceutical Services worth $189,319,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Whipplewood Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services during the fourth quarter worth approximately $25,000. Retirement Wealth Solutions LLC purchased a new stake in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services during the fourth quarter worth approximately $34,000. Centricity Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services during the fourth quarter worth approximately $35,000. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC increased its position in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 57.1% during the fourth quarter. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC now owns 110 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $38,000 after purchasing an additional 40 shares in the last quarter. Finally, IFP Advisors Inc increased its position in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 150.9% during the fourth quarter. IFP Advisors Inc now owns 133 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $45,000 after purchasing an additional 80 shares in the last quarter. 93.90% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

West Pharmaceutical Services Trading Down 3.7%

NYSE:WST opened at $207.79 on Thursday. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $215.51 and its 200 day moving average price is $276.46. The company has a market capitalization of $14.93 billion, a PE ratio of 31.06, a P/E/G ratio of 6.74 and a beta of 1.14. The company has a quick ratio of 2.23, a current ratio of 2.79 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.08. West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. has a 52-week low of $187.43 and a 52-week high of $358.22.

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

West Pharmaceutical Services Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, August 6th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, July 30th will be paid a $0.21 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, July 30th. This represents a $0.84 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.40%. West Pharmaceutical Services’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 13.19%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

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

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.