Terra Alpha Investments LLC Has $1.58 Million Position in West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST)

Terra Alpha Investments LLC grew its holdings in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST) by 29.7% during the first quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 7,057 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after purchasing an additional 1,617 shares during the quarter. West Pharmaceutical Services comprises about 1.7% of Terra Alpha Investments LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 24th biggest position. Terra Alpha Investments LLC’s holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services were worth $1,580,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the business. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in the fourth quarter worth about $290,604,000. Van ECK Associates Corp lifted its holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services by 5,074.0% in the 4th quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 689,493 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $225,851,000 after purchasing an additional 676,167 shares during the last quarter. William Blair Investment Management LLC boosted its position in West Pharmaceutical Services by 731.8% during the fourth quarter. William Blair Investment Management LLC now owns 640,735 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $209,879,000 after purchasing an additional 563,705 shares during the period. FMR LLC grew its holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services by 83.1% during the fourth quarter. FMR LLC now owns 1,090,603 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $357,238,000 after purchasing an additional 494,828 shares during the last quarter. Finally, D. E. Shaw & Co. Inc. grew its holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services by 5,277.7% during the fourth quarter. D. E. Shaw & Co. Inc. now owns 425,915 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $139,513,000 after purchasing an additional 417,995 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 93.90% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

WST has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. Citigroup restated a “buy” rating on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in a research note on Thursday, May 22nd. KeyCorp decreased their price target on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services from $470.00 to $325.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Friday, February 14th. Stephens raised West Pharmaceutical Services to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Monday, April 21st. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised West Pharmaceutical Services from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $250.00 price objective for the company in a research report on Friday, February 14th. Finally, Evercore ISI assumed coverage on West Pharmaceutical Services in a report on Tuesday, March 18th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $275.00 target price on the stock. Two 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 company. According to data from MarketBeat, West Pharmaceutical Services currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $332.50.

West Pharmaceutical Services Stock Performance

NYSE WST opened at $223.89 on Tuesday. The company’s fifty day moving average is $210.40 and its two-hundred day moving average is $262.40. The firm has a market capitalization of $16.09 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 33.47, a P/E/G ratio of 6.74 and a beta of 1.09. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.08, a current ratio of 2.79 and a quick ratio of 2.23. 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 released its earnings results on Thursday, April 24th. The medical instruments supplier reported $1.45 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.22 by $0.23. West Pharmaceutical Services had a return on equity of 18.60% and a net margin of 17.03%. The business had revenue of $698.00 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $685.24 million. During the same period last year, the business earned $1.56 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up .4% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts forecast that West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. will post 6.62 EPS for the current year.

West Pharmaceutical Services Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, August 6th. Investors of record on Wednesday, July 30th will be given a $0.21 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, July 30th. This represents a $0.84 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.38%. West Pharmaceutical Services’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 13.19%.

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.