Consolidated Planning Corp Acquires 2,051 Shares of West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST)

Consolidated Planning Corp boosted its holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST) by 188.3% during the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The fund owned 3,140 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after purchasing an additional 2,051 shares during the period. Consolidated Planning Corp’s holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services were worth $1,029,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in WST. Northwest Investment Counselors LLC bought a new stake in West Pharmaceutical Services in the 3rd quarter valued at $30,000. Retirement Wealth Solutions LLC bought a new stake in West Pharmaceutical Services in the 4th quarter valued at $34,000. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC raised its stake in West Pharmaceutical Services by 57.1% in the 4th quarter. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC now owns 110 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $38,000 after acquiring an additional 40 shares during the period. Brooklyn Investment Group bought a new stake in West Pharmaceutical Services in the 3rd quarter valued at $41,000. Finally, MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB raised its stake 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 acquiring an additional 79 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 93.90% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms recently weighed in on WST. Citigroup began coverage on West Pharmaceutical Services in a research note on Wednesday, January 8th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $400.00 price target on the stock. Wolfe Research assumed coverage on West Pharmaceutical Services in a report on Friday, December 13th. They set a “peer perform” rating for the company. StockNews.com upgraded shares of West Pharmaceutical Services from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday. UBS Group upgraded shares of West Pharmaceutical Services from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and lifted their price objective for the stock from $350.00 to $390.00 in a research note on Thursday, December 12th. Finally, Bank of America boosted their price objective on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services from $350.00 to $355.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, December 13th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $403.75.

West Pharmaceutical Services Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:WST opened at $323.06 on Thursday. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $332.39 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $315.13. West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. has a 12-month low of $265.00 and a 12-month high of $408.88. The firm has a market cap of $23.40 billion, a PE ratio of 47.93, a PEG ratio of 19.31 and a beta of 1.01. The company has a quick ratio of 2.23, a current ratio of 3.00 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.07.

West Pharmaceutical Services Dividend Announcement

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

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.