West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. $WST Shares Sold by Vest Financial LLC

Vest Financial LLC reduced its stake in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST) by 18.6% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 148,537 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after selling 34,044 shares during the quarter. Vest Financial LLC owned 0.21% of West Pharmaceutical Services worth $55,072,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of WST. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC grew its position in West Pharmaceutical Services by 90.9% in the 1st quarter. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC now owns 105 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 50 shares during the last quarter. Avalon Trust Co bought a new position in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services during the 2nd quarter worth about $28,000. Addison Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services during the second quarter valued at about $28,000. Raiffeisen Bank International AG raised its position in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 95.6% during the second quarter. Raiffeisen Bank International AG now owns 133 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $47,000 after buying an additional 65 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Elevation Wealth Partners LLC raised its position in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 1,377.8% during the second quarter. Elevation Wealth Partners LLC now owns 133 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $48,000 after buying an additional 124 shares during the last quarter. 93.90% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages have commented on WST. BNP Paribas Exane began coverage on West Pharmaceutical Services in a research report on Monday, July 13th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $447.00 price objective for the company. Evercore reiterated an “outperform” rating and set a $425.00 price target on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in a research note on Monday, July 27th. Weiss Ratings raised shares of West Pharmaceutical Services from a “hold (c)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a report on Friday, August 7th. TD Cowen increased their price objective on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services from $410.00 to $420.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 13th. Finally, KeyCorp raised their price objective on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services from $350.00 to $390.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, July 2nd. Twelve research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, West Pharmaceutical Services has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $391.17.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, VP Annette Favorite sold 2,524 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, September 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $365.00, for a total transaction of $921,260.00. Following the transaction, the vice president directly owned 21,818 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $7,963,570. This trade represents a 10.37% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 15,659 shares of company stock worth $5,443,749. Company insiders own 0.60% of the company’s stock.

West Pharmaceutical Services Stock Up 1.3%

Shares of NYSE:WST opened at $393.91 on Thursday. The company’s fifty day moving average is $360.21 and its 200-day moving average is $335.82. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.07, a quick ratio of 2.12 and a current ratio of 2.82. West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. has a 52 week low of $223.83 and a 52 week high of $396.00. The company has a market capitalization of $27.72 billion, a PE ratio of 50.44, a P/E/G ratio of 2.72 and a beta of 1.13.

West Pharmaceutical Services (NYSE:WST) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, July 23rd. The medical instruments supplier reported $2.37 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.08 by $0.29. West Pharmaceutical Services had a net margin of 16.98% and a return on equity of 20.11%. The business had revenue of $872.30 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $839.98 million. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $1.84 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 13.8% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts predict that West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. will post 8.93 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

West Pharmaceutical Services Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, November 18th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, November 11th will be paid a dividend of $0.26 per share. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, November 10th. This represents a $1.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.3%. This is a boost from West Pharmaceutical Services’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.22. West Pharmaceutical Services’s dividend payout ratio is 11.27%.

West Pharmaceutical Services Profile

West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc develops and manufactures components and delivery systems used in the administration and packaging of injectable medicines and other healthcare products. Its offerings include elastomer closures, seals, syringe components, drug-delivery systems, and other specialized packaging components designed to support the safety, quality, and performance of pharmaceutical products.

The company also provides contract-manufacturing services for pharmaceutical, biotechnology, and medical-device customers.