West Pharmaceutical Services (NYSE:WST) Sets New 1-Year Low – What’s Next?

West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST)’s share price reached a new 52-week low on Thursday . The company traded as low as $256.27 and last traded at $229.38, with a volume of 16866 shares traded. The stock had previously closed at $322.28.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

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

West Pharmaceutical Services Price Performance

The company has a quick ratio of 2.23, a current ratio of 3.00 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.07. The stock has a market cap of $16.30 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 33.22, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 19.31 and a beta of 1.01. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $332.39 and a two-hundred day moving average of $315.13.

West Pharmaceutical Services (NYSE:WST) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 13th. The medical instruments supplier reported $1.82 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.75 by $0.07. West Pharmaceutical Services had a return on equity of 18.41% and a net margin of 17.37%. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. will post 6.67 earnings per share for the current year.

West Pharmaceutical Services Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, February 11th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 7th were given a $0.21 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 7th. This represents a $0.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.37%. West Pharmaceutical Services’s payout ratio is currently 12.46%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On West Pharmaceutical Services

Institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Trust Point Inc. boosted its position in West Pharmaceutical Services by 321.0% during the 4th quarter. Trust Point Inc. now owns 3,183 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $1,043,000 after purchasing an additional 2,427 shares during the period. Principal Financial Group Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 2.3% during the third quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 91,756 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $27,541,000 after acquiring an additional 2,037 shares during the period. Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd. boosted its holdings in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 22.4% during the third quarter. Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 130,345 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $39,124,000 after acquiring an additional 23,850 shares during the period. Swedbank AB lifted its position in West Pharmaceutical Services by 44.6% in the 3rd quarter. Swedbank AB now owns 7,195 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $2,160,000 after purchasing an additional 2,220 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Sanctuary Advisors LLC increased its stake in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 80.9% in the third quarter. Sanctuary Advisors LLC now owns 6,800 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $2,153,000 after purchasing an additional 3,042 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 93.90% 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.