Brokerages Set West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST) PT at $435.20

Shares of West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST) have earned a consensus recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the five analysts that are covering the company, MarketBeat.com reports. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the company. The average 1 year target price among brokerages that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $435.20.

A number of research firms have issued reports on WST. KeyCorp raised their target price on West Pharmaceutical Services from $440.00 to $470.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 13th. Jefferies Financial Group upgraded shares of West Pharmaceutical Services from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and raised their price objective for the stock from $323.00 to $536.00 in a research note on Wednesday, February 7th. StockNews.com cut shares of West Pharmaceutical Services from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, February 16th. Finally, UBS Group decreased their price target on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services from $400.00 to $375.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, February 16th.

West Pharmaceutical Services Stock Performance

NYSE:WST opened at $365.02 on Wednesday. The firm has a market capitalization of $26.59 billion, a PE ratio of 48.16, a PEG ratio of 6.40 and a beta of 1.05. West Pharmaceutical Services has a 1 year low of $310.42 and a 1 year high of $415.73. The company has a current ratio of 2.61, a quick ratio of 1.95 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.03. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $377.95 and its 200 day simple moving average is $363.40.

West Pharmaceutical Services (NYSE:WST) last released its quarterly 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. The company had revenue of $695.40 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $670.62 million. West Pharmaceutical Services had a net margin of 19.42% and a return on equity of 20.57%. The business’s quarterly revenue was down 3.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $1.98 earnings per share. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that West Pharmaceutical Services will post 7.78 EPS for the current year.

West Pharmaceutical Services Dividend Announcement

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

Insider Activity

In related news, CAO Chad Winters sold 815 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $358.82, for a total value of $292,438.30. Following the sale, the chief accounting officer now owns 1,309 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $469,695.38. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. In related news, VP Charles Witherspoon sold 2,019 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $358.62, for a total value of $724,053.78. Following the sale, the vice president now 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 accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CAO Chad Winters sold 815 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $358.82, for a total transaction of $292,438.30. Following the completion of the sale, 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. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 73,978 shares of company stock valued at $26,653,772. Insiders own 0.53% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of West Pharmaceutical Services

Large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Fidelis Capital Partners LLC bought a new stake in West Pharmaceutical Services during the first quarter worth about $27,000. Quarry LP raised its holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services by 155.3% in the fourth quarter. Quarry LP now owns 97 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $34,000 after purchasing an additional 59 shares during the period. Hazlett Burt & Watson Inc. acquired a new stake in West Pharmaceutical Services in the first quarter worth $40,000. Northwest Investment Counselors LLC acquired a new stake in West Pharmaceutical Services in the first quarter worth $40,000. Finally, Planned Solutions Inc. acquired a new stake in West Pharmaceutical Services in the fourth quarter worth $39,000. 93.90% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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.