StockNews.com Downgrades West Pharmaceutical Services (NYSE:WST) to Hold

StockNews.com cut shares of West Pharmaceutical Services (NYSE:WST) from a buy rating to a hold rating in a research note released on Thursday morning.

Other research analysts have also issued research reports about the stock. Bank of America upped their price target on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services from $350.00 to $355.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, December 13th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised shares of West Pharmaceutical Services from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $250.00 price target for the company in a research report on Friday, February 14th. Wolfe Research initiated coverage on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in a report on Friday, December 13th. They issued a “peer perform” rating on the stock. Citigroup started coverage on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in a report on Wednesday, January 8th. They set a “buy” rating and a $400.00 target price for the company. Finally, KeyCorp decreased their target price on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services from $470.00 to $325.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, February 14th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, West Pharmaceutical Services currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $344.00.

West Pharmaceutical Services Stock Up 4.4 %

West Pharmaceutical Services stock opened at $232.43 on Thursday. West Pharmaceutical Services has a 1-year low of $197.01 and a 1-year high of $400.88. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $305.65 and a 200-day moving average price of $308.21. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.08, a current ratio of 2.79 and a quick ratio of 2.23. The stock has a market capitalization of $16.81 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 34.74, a PEG ratio of 6.74 and a beta of 1.01.

West Pharmaceutical Services (NYSE:WST) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 13th. The medical instruments supplier reported $1.82 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.75 by $0.07. West Pharmaceutical Services had a return on equity of 18.60% and a net margin of 17.03%. The business had revenue of $748.80 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $739.59 million. Equities research analysts forecast that West Pharmaceutical Services will post 6.62 EPS for the current fiscal year.

West Pharmaceutical Services Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, May 7th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, April 30th will be issued a $0.21 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, April 30th. This represents a $0.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.36%. West Pharmaceutical Services’s payout ratio is 12.56%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On West Pharmaceutical Services

Several hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the company. Whipplewood Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in West Pharmaceutical Services in the 4th quarter valued at $25,000. Retirement Wealth Solutions LLC purchased a new position in West Pharmaceutical Services during the fourth quarter valued at $34,000. Centricity Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in the fourth quarter valued at about $35,000. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC grew its position in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 57.1% in the fourth quarter. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC now owns 110 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $38,000 after purchasing an additional 40 shares during the period. Finally, Brooklyn Investment Group acquired a new position in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services during the 3rd quarter worth about $41,000. 93.90% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.