Bahl & Gaynor Inc. Has $1.03 Million Holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST)

Bahl & Gaynor Inc. decreased its stake in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST) by 6.8% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 2,926 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after selling 214 shares during the quarter. Bahl & Gaynor Inc.’s holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services were worth $1,030,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the business. Planned Solutions Inc. bought a new stake in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services during the 4th quarter worth $39,000. Addison Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 37.9% in the third quarter. Addison Advisors LLC now owns 142 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $53,000 after acquiring an additional 39 shares during the last quarter. Livforsakringsbolaget Skandia Omsesidigt boosted its position in West Pharmaceutical Services by 90.0% in the fourth quarter. Livforsakringsbolaget Skandia Omsesidigt now owns 190 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $67,000 after purchasing an additional 90 shares during the last quarter. MEAG MUNICH ERGO Kapitalanlagegesellschaft mbH purchased a new position in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services during the 3rd quarter valued at about $71,000. Finally, Lindbrook Capital LLC increased its stake in West Pharmaceutical Services by 46.0% in the 4th quarter. Lindbrook Capital LLC now owns 235 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $83,000 after acquiring an additional 74 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 93.90% of the company’s stock.

West Pharmaceutical Services Stock Down 2.1 %

Shares of NYSE WST opened at $360.43 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 2.88, a quick ratio of 2.24 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.03. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $377.63 and a 200 day moving average price of $364.13. The company has a market cap of $26.39 billion, a P/E ratio of 47.55, a P/E/G ratio of 6.27 and a beta of 1.04. West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. has a 12-month low of $310.42 and a 12-month high of $415.73.

West Pharmaceutical Services (NYSE:WST) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, April 25th. The medical instruments supplier reported $1.56 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.29 by $0.27. West Pharmaceutical Services had a net margin of 19.42% and a return on equity of 20.29%. The firm had revenue of $695.40 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $670.62 million. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $1.98 earnings per share. West Pharmaceutical Services’s revenue was down 3.0% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts anticipate that West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. will post 7.65 EPS for the current fiscal year.

West Pharmaceutical Services Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, August 7th. Investors of record on Wednesday, July 31st will be paid a dividend of $0.20 per share. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, July 31st. 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 presently 10.55%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

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

Insider Activity at West Pharmaceutical Services

In other West Pharmaceutical Services news, VP Charles Witherspoon sold 2,019 shares of West Pharmaceutical Services stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $358.62, for a total value of $724,053.78. Following the transaction, the vice president now owns 1,979 shares in the company, valued at $709,708.98. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this link. In other West Pharmaceutical Services news, CAO Chad Winters sold 815 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, March 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $358.82, for a total transaction of $292,438.30. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer now owns 1,309 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $469,695.38. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, VP Charles Witherspoon sold 2,019 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $358.62, for a total transaction of $724,053.78. Following the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 1,979 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $709,708.98. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 73,978 shares of company stock worth $26,653,772 over the last quarter. 0.53% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

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.