Centricity Wealth Management LLC Takes Position in West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST)

Centricity Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST) in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund acquired 106 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock, valued at approximately $35,000.

Other large investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Retirement Wealth Solutions LLC bought a new position in West Pharmaceutical Services in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $34,000. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC raised its holdings in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 57.1% during the fourth quarter. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC now owns 110 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $38,000 after acquiring an additional 40 shares during the period. Brooklyn Investment Group bought a new stake 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% in 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 period. Finally, Hilltop National Bank increased its holdings 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 in the last quarter. 93.90% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

West Pharmaceutical Services Trading Up 3.5 %

Shares of West Pharmaceutical Services stock opened at $210.72 on Friday. West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. has a 12-month low of $197.01 and a 12-month high of $400.88. The company has a quick ratio of 2.23, a current ratio of 2.79 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.08. The business’s 50 day moving average is $316.29 and its 200-day moving average is $310.57. The stock has a market cap of $15.24 billion, a P/E ratio of 31.50, a P/E/G ratio of 6.74 and a beta of 1.01.

West Pharmaceutical Services (NYSE:WST) last released its quarterly earnings data 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. The company had revenue of $748.80 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $739.59 million. West Pharmaceutical Services had a net margin of 17.03% and a return on equity of 18.60%. Equities research analysts predict that West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. will post 6.62 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

West Pharmaceutical Services Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, May 7th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, April 30th will be given a $0.21 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, April 30th. This represents a $0.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.40%. West Pharmaceutical Services’s payout ratio is 12.56%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts have recently commented on WST shares. StockNews.com lowered West Pharmaceutical Services from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday. UBS Group raised West Pharmaceutical Services from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and upped their price target for the stock from $350.00 to $390.00 in a research report on Thursday, December 12th. Citigroup initiated coverage on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in a research note on Wednesday, January 8th. They set a “buy” rating and a $400.00 price target for the company. KeyCorp cut their price objective on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services from $470.00 to $325.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, February 14th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised shares of West Pharmaceutical Services from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $250.00 target price 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. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $344.00.

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.