SG Americas Securities LLC Sells 3,940 Shares of West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST)

SG Americas Securities LLC trimmed its stake in West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST) by 83.2% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 793 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after selling 3,940 shares during the quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC’s holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services were worth $260,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Northwest Investment Counselors LLC bought a new stake in West Pharmaceutical Services in the 3rd quarter worth about $30,000. Retirement Wealth Solutions LLC bought a new stake in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services during the fourth quarter valued at about $34,000. Brooklyn Investment Group purchased a new stake in West Pharmaceutical Services in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $41,000. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB grew its position in West Pharmaceutical Services by 60.8% during the fourth quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB now owns 209 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $68,000 after buying an additional 79 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Hilltop National Bank increased its stake in West Pharmaceutical Services by 47.9% in the 4th quarter. Hilltop National Bank now owns 216 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $71,000 after acquiring an additional 70 shares during the last quarter. 93.90% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

WST has been the subject of several research reports. Citigroup began coverage on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in a research report on Wednesday, January 8th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $400.00 target price for the company. Bank of America upped their target price on West Pharmaceutical Services from $350.00 to $355.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, December 13th. StockNews.com upgraded West Pharmaceutical Services from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Wolfe Research initiated coverage on West Pharmaceutical Services in a research report on Friday, December 13th. They issued a “peer perform” rating on the stock. Finally, UBS Group upgraded shares of West Pharmaceutical Services from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and increased their price target for the company from $350.00 to $390.00 in a report on Thursday, December 12th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and six have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, West Pharmaceutical Services presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $430.20.

West Pharmaceutical Services Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE WST opened at $330.53 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $23.94 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 49.04, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 19.82 and a beta of 1.01. The company has a current ratio of 3.00, a quick ratio of 2.23 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.07. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $332.39 and a 200 day moving average of $314.53. West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. has a 12-month low of $265.00 and a 12-month high of $413.70.

West Pharmaceutical Services Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, February 11th. Investors of record on Friday, February 7th will be paid a dividend of $0.21 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 7th. This represents a $0.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.25%. West Pharmaceutical Services’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 12.46%.

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.