Annex Advisory Services LLC Has $13.40 Million Stock Position in West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST)

Annex Advisory Services LLC raised its position in West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST) by 23.1% in the first quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 59,866 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after acquiring an additional 11,218 shares during the period. Annex Advisory Services LLC owned approximately 0.08% of West Pharmaceutical Services worth $13,403,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Whipplewood Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Centricity Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in West Pharmaceutical Services during the fourth quarter worth $35,000. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC lifted its holdings in 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. Private Trust Co. NA lifted its holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services by 138.6% during the fourth quarter. Private Trust Co. NA now owns 136 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $45,000 after acquiring an additional 79 shares during the period. Finally, IFP Advisors Inc lifted its holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services by 150.9% during the fourth quarter. IFP Advisors Inc now owns 133 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $45,000 after acquiring an additional 80 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 93.90% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages recently commented on WST. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upgraded West Pharmaceutical Services from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $250.00 price target on the stock in a report on Friday, February 14th. Citigroup reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in a research report on Thursday, May 22nd. Wall Street Zen cut West Pharmaceutical Services from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 27th. Evercore ISI started coverage on West Pharmaceutical Services in a research report on Tuesday, March 18th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $275.00 target price for the company. Finally, Stephens upgraded West Pharmaceutical Services to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Monday, April 21st. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, six have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $332.50.

West Pharmaceutical Services Stock Up 0.5%

Shares of NYSE:WST opened at $211.59 on Thursday. The business’s 50 day moving average is $210.38 and its 200 day moving average is $264.94. 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 stock has a market cap of $15.20 billion, a P/E ratio of 31.63, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 6.74 and a beta of 1.09. West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. has a 52-week low of $187.43 and a 52-week high of $352.33.

West Pharmaceutical Services (NYSE:WST) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 24th. The medical instruments supplier reported $1.45 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.22 by $0.23. The firm had revenue of $698.00 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $685.24 million. West Pharmaceutical Services had a return on equity of 18.60% and a net margin of 17.03%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up .4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $1.56 EPS. Sell-side analysts predict that West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. will post 6.62 EPS for the current year.

West Pharmaceutical Services Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, August 6th. Investors of record on Wednesday, July 30th will be paid a $0.21 dividend. This represents a $0.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.40%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, July 30th. West Pharmaceutical Services’s dividend payout ratio is presently 13.19%.

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.