West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST) Shares Acquired by KBC Group NV

KBC Group NV increased its stake in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST) by 0.4% in the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 9,980 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after purchasing an additional 42 shares during the period. KBC Group NV’s holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services were worth $3,269,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of WST. Northwest Investment Counselors LLC acquired a new position in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services during the third quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Retirement Wealth Solutions LLC purchased a new stake in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services during the fourth quarter worth approximately $34,000. Brooklyn Investment Group acquired a new position in West Pharmaceutical Services in the 3rd quarter valued at $41,000. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB boosted its stake in West Pharmaceutical Services by 60.8% during the 4th quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB now owns 209 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $68,000 after purchasing an additional 79 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Hilltop National Bank boosted its stake in West Pharmaceutical Services by 47.9% during the 4th quarter. Hilltop National Bank now owns 216 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $71,000 after purchasing an additional 70 shares during the last quarter. 93.90% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Wolfe Research assumed coverage on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in a research note on Friday, December 13th. They issued a “peer perform” rating on the stock. StockNews.com upgraded West Pharmaceutical Services from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Friday. Citigroup started 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. Bank of America boosted their price objective on West Pharmaceutical Services from $350.00 to $355.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, December 13th. Finally, UBS Group upgraded West Pharmaceutical Services from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and lifted their price target for the stock 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 issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, West Pharmaceutical Services currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $430.20.

West Pharmaceutical Services Price Performance

WST stock opened at $341.88 on Friday. West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. has a 52-week low of $265.00 and a 52-week high of $413.70. The business has a fifty day moving average of $331.42 and a two-hundred day moving average of $314.23. The stock has a market cap of $24.76 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 50.72, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 19.71 and a beta of 1.00. The company has a quick ratio of 2.23, a current ratio of 3.00 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.07.

West Pharmaceutical Services Announces Dividend

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 issued a $0.21 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 7th. This represents a $0.84 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.25%. West Pharmaceutical Services’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 12.46%.

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.