West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST) Shares Sold by Diversify Wealth Management LLC

Diversify Wealth Management LLC lessened its stake in West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST) by 3.0% in the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 1,060 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after selling 33 shares during the period. Diversify Wealth Management LLC’s holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services were worth $352,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Northwest Investment Counselors LLC purchased a new position in West Pharmaceutical Services during the third quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Retirement Wealth Solutions LLC acquired a new stake in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services during the 4th quarter worth approximately $34,000. Brooklyn Investment Group purchased a new position in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $41,000. Hilltop National Bank lifted its stake in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 47.9% in the 4th quarter. Hilltop National Bank now owns 216 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $71,000 after purchasing an additional 70 shares during the period. Finally, Eastern Bank purchased a new stake in West Pharmaceutical Services during the third quarter worth $82,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 93.90% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

WST has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. Bank of America lifted their price objective on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services from $350.00 to $355.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, December 13th. Citigroup began coverage on West Pharmaceutical Services in a report on Wednesday, January 8th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $400.00 price target for the company. Wolfe Research assumed coverage on West Pharmaceutical Services in a report on Friday, December 13th. They issued a “peer perform” rating on the stock. Finally, UBS Group raised West Pharmaceutical Services from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and upped their target price for the stock from $350.00 to $390.00 in a research note on Thursday, December 12th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $430.20.

Insider Activity at West Pharmaceutical Services

In other news, VP Charles Witherspoon sold 703 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, October 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $310.40, for a total transaction of $218,211.20. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now owns 1,253 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $388,931.20. This represents a 35.94 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. 0.53% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

West Pharmaceutical Services Trading Up 0.8 %

Shares of West Pharmaceutical Services stock opened at $347.51 on Thursday. The company has a current ratio of 3.00, a quick ratio of 2.23 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.07. West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. has a twelve month low of $265.00 and a twelve month high of $413.70. The firm has a market capitalization of $25.17 billion, a PE ratio of 51.56, a P/E/G ratio of 17.97 and a beta of 1.00. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $327.60 and its 200 day moving average price is $313.16.

West Pharmaceutical Services (NYSE:WST) last released its earnings results on Thursday, October 24th. The medical instruments supplier reported $1.85 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.50 by $0.35. West Pharmaceutical Services had a return on equity of 18.41% and a net margin of 17.37%. The business had revenue of $746.90 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $709.62 million. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $2.16 earnings per share. The business’s quarterly revenue was down .1% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, sell-side analysts predict that West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. will post 6.67 EPS for the current fiscal year.

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.