Daiwa Securities Group Inc. Has $2.81 Million Stock Holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST)

Daiwa Securities Group Inc. increased its position in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST) by 10.2% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 7,987 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after purchasing an additional 739 shares during the quarter. Daiwa Securities Group Inc.’s holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services were worth $2,812,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in WST. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services during the 4th quarter worth about $237,367,000. Artisan Partners Limited Partnership increased its position in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 57.2% during the 3rd quarter. Artisan Partners Limited Partnership now owns 1,591,271 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $597,061,000 after purchasing an additional 578,796 shares in the last quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA acquired a new stake in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services during the 3rd quarter worth about $215,011,000. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased its position in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 73.2% during the 1st quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 849,266 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $294,246,000 after purchasing an additional 359,021 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Select Equity Group L.P. acquired a new stake in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services during the 4th quarter worth about $44,610,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 93.90% of the company’s stock.

West Pharmaceutical Services Stock Down 1.4 %

Shares of NYSE WST opened at $372.04 on Monday. The firm has a market capitalization of $27.24 billion, a PE ratio of 47.21, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 6.36 and a beta of 1.04. The company has a current ratio of 2.88, a quick ratio of 2.24 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.03. West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. has a 1 year low of $310.42 and a 1 year high of $415.73. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $378.56 and its 200-day moving average is $364.01.

West Pharmaceutical Services (NYSE:WST) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, February 15th. The medical instruments supplier reported $1.83 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.78 by $0.05. The company had revenue of $732.00 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $740.43 million. West Pharmaceutical Services had a net margin of 20.12% and a return on equity of 21.60%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 3.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $1.77 EPS. Equities analysts expect that West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. will post 7.62 EPS for the current year.

West Pharmaceutical Services Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, May 1st. Investors of record on Wednesday, April 24th will be given a $0.20 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, April 23rd. This represents a $0.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.22%. West Pharmaceutical Services’s dividend payout ratio is 10.15%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

WST has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. StockNews.com lowered shares of West Pharmaceutical Services from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, February 16th. Jefferies Financial Group raised shares of West Pharmaceutical Services from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and increased their price objective for the stock from $323.00 to $536.00 in a report on Wednesday, February 7th. KeyCorp increased their price objective on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services from $440.00 to $470.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 13th. Finally, UBS Group decreased their price objective on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services from $400.00 to $375.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, February 16th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $435.20.

Insider Activity at West Pharmaceutical Services

In related news, CAO Chad Winters sold 815 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $358.82, for a total value of $292,438.30. Following the sale, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 1,309 shares in the company, valued at approximately $469,695.38. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. In related news, CEO Eric Mark Green sold 64,132 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $359.85, for a total value of $23,077,900.20. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 152,908 shares in the company, valued at approximately $55,023,943.80. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CAO Chad Winters sold 815 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $358.82, for a total transaction of $292,438.30. Following the sale, the chief accounting officer now owns 1,309 shares in the company, valued at $469,695.38. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 73,978 shares of company stock worth $26,653,772 in the last ninety days. Company insiders own 0.53% of the company’s stock.

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.