West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST) Receives $430.20 Average Target Price from Brokerages

Shares of West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST) have been assigned a consensus recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the six research firms that are presently covering the firm, MarketBeat Ratings reports. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold recommendation and five have issued a buy recommendation on the company. The average twelve-month price target among analysts that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $430.20.

Several research analysts have recently commented on the company. Bank of America boosted their price target on West Pharmaceutical Services from $350.00 to $355.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, December 13th. StockNews.com raised West Pharmaceutical Services from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday. Citigroup began coverage on West Pharmaceutical Services in a research note on Wednesday, January 8th. They set a “buy” rating and a $400.00 price target on the stock. Wolfe Research started coverage on West Pharmaceutical Services in a research note on Friday, December 13th. They set a “peer perform” rating on the stock. Finally, UBS Group upgraded West Pharmaceutical Services from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and increased their price target for the stock from $350.00 to $390.00 in a research report on Thursday, December 12th.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On West Pharmaceutical Services

Hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Van ECK Associates Corp grew its stake in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 5,074.0% during the fourth quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 689,493 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $225,851,000 after buying an additional 676,167 shares during the last quarter. Seilern Investment Management Ltd purchased a new stake in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services during the 4th quarter worth approximately $145,379,000. FMR LLC boosted its holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services by 199.4% in the 3rd quarter. FMR LLC now owns 595,775 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $178,828,000 after purchasing an additional 396,780 shares during the period. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC lifted its holdings in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 21.8% during the 3rd quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 683,350 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $205,114,000 after acquiring an additional 122,361 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Champlain Investment Partners LLC increased its position in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 29.7% in the third quarter. Champlain Investment Partners LLC now owns 444,000 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $133,271,000 after acquiring an additional 101,710 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 93.90% of the company’s stock.

West Pharmaceutical Services Stock Down 1.2 %

NYSE WST opened at $337.35 on Friday. 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 has a 12 month low of $265.00 and a 12 month high of $413.70. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $331.77 and its 200 day moving average is $314.18. The stock has a market cap of $24.43 billion, a PE ratio of 50.05, a P/E/G ratio of 19.82 and a beta of 1.01.

West Pharmaceutical Services Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, February 11th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 7th will be issued a $0.21 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend 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 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.