West Pharmaceutical Services (NYSE:WST) Share Price Passes Above Two Hundred Day Moving Average – Should You Sell?

West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST) shares crossed above its two hundred day moving average during trading on Wednesday . The stock has a two hundred day moving average of $312.04 and traded as high as $331.66. West Pharmaceutical Services shares last traded at $327.56, with a volume of 301,188 shares.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

WST has been the topic of a number of research reports. Wolfe Research assumed coverage on West Pharmaceutical Services in a report on Friday, December 13th. They issued a “peer perform” rating on the stock. Bank of America lifted their price target on West Pharmaceutical Services from $350.00 to $355.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, December 13th. Finally, UBS Group raised shares of West Pharmaceutical Services from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and increased their price objective for the company from $350.00 to $390.00 in a research note on Thursday, December 12th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $437.75.

West Pharmaceutical Services Trading Up 2.4 %

The business has a 50-day moving average of $323.25 and a 200 day moving average of $312.26. The stock has a market cap of $24.35 billion, a PE ratio of 49.89, a PEG ratio of 25.04 and a beta of 1.01. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.07, a quick ratio of 2.23 and a current ratio of 3.00.

West Pharmaceutical Services (NYSE:WST) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 24th. The medical instruments supplier reported $1.85 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.50 by $0.35. The business had revenue of $746.90 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $709.62 million. West Pharmaceutical Services had a return on equity of 18.41% and a net margin of 17.37%. The business’s revenue was down .1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $2.16 earnings per share. Equities research analysts predict that West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. will post 6.64 EPS for the current fiscal year.

West Pharmaceutical Services Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, November 20th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, November 13th were paid a dividend of $0.21 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, November 13th. This is a positive change from West Pharmaceutical Services’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.20. This represents a $0.84 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.25%. West Pharmaceutical Services’s dividend payout ratio is currently 12.46%.

Insider Buying and Selling at West Pharmaceutical Services

In related news, VP Charles Witherspoon sold 703 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, October 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $310.40, for a total transaction of $218,211.20. Following the sale, the vice president now directly owns 1,253 shares in the company, valued at approximately $388,931.20. This trade represents a 35.94 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. 0.53% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Trading of West Pharmaceutical Services

Several large investors have recently bought and sold shares of WST. Rhumbline Advisers increased its position in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 2.3% during the second quarter. Rhumbline Advisers now owns 217,809 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $71,744,000 after acquiring an additional 4,822 shares during the last quarter. Legacy Capital Wealth Partners LLC acquired a new position in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $216,000. National Bank of Canada FI grew its position in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 9.0% during the second quarter. National Bank of Canada FI now owns 34,259 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $11,118,000 after buying an additional 2,828 shares in the last quarter. Kornitzer Capital Management Inc. KS bought a new stake in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in the second quarter worth $6,917,000. Finally, Parkside Financial Bank & Trust raised its holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services by 7.4% in the second quarter. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust now owns 1,387 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $457,000 after acquiring an additional 96 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds 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.