Vest Financial LLC Has $56.22 Million Holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST)

Vest Financial LLC increased its stake in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST) by 13.5% during the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The fund owned 171,644 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after buying an additional 20,427 shares during the period. West Pharmaceutical Services comprises about 1.0% of Vest Financial LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 26th largest position. Vest Financial LLC’s holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services were worth $56,224,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in WST. Northwest Investment Counselors LLC bought a new position in West Pharmaceutical Services during the 3rd quarter worth about $30,000. Retirement Wealth Solutions LLC acquired a new position in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services during the fourth quarter worth about $34,000. Brooklyn Investment Group bought a new position in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services during the third quarter worth about $41,000. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB raised its position 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 valued at $68,000 after buying an additional 79 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Hilltop National Bank lifted its stake in West Pharmaceutical Services by 47.9% in the 4th quarter. Hilltop National Bank now owns 216 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $71,000 after acquiring an additional 70 shares in the last quarter. 93.90% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

WST has been the subject of several research reports. Citigroup began coverage on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in a report on Wednesday, January 8th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $400.00 price objective on the stock. Wolfe Research started coverage on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in a research note on Friday, December 13th. They issued a “peer perform” rating on the stock. Bank of America boosted their price target on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services from $350.00 to $355.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, December 13th. StockNews.com upgraded West Pharmaceutical Services from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, January 31st. Finally, UBS Group upgraded West Pharmaceutical Services from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and upped their target price for the stock from $350.00 to $390.00 in a report on Thursday, December 12th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $403.75.

West Pharmaceutical Services Stock Performance

Shares of WST opened at $321.50 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $23.28 billion, a PE ratio of 47.70, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 19.31 and a beta of 1.01. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $332.31 and a 200-day moving average of $314.56. West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. has a one year low of $265.00 and a one year high of $413.56. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.07, a current ratio of 3.00 and a quick ratio of 2.23.

West Pharmaceutical Services Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, February 11th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 7th will be given a dividend of $0.21 per share. This represents a $0.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.26%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 7th. West Pharmaceutical Services’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 12.46%.

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.