Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management UK Ltd. Sells 2,500 Shares of West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST)

Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management UK Ltd. trimmed its stake in West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST) by 41.7% during the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 3,500 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after selling 2,500 shares during the quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management UK Ltd.’s holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services were worth $1,146,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the stock. Northwest Investment Counselors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services during the 3rd quarter valued at $30,000. Retirement Wealth Solutions LLC bought a new position in West Pharmaceutical Services in the fourth quarter valued at $34,000. Brooklyn Investment Group bought a new position in West Pharmaceutical Services in the third quarter valued at $41,000. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB lifted its stake in West Pharmaceutical Services by 60.8% during the fourth quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB now owns 209 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $68,000 after purchasing an additional 79 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Hilltop National Bank boosted its holdings in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 47.9% in the 4th quarter. Hilltop National Bank now owns 216 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $71,000 after purchasing an additional 70 shares in the last quarter. 93.90% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

West Pharmaceutical Services Price Performance

WST opened at $344.87 on Wednesday. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $327.53 and its 200-day moving average price is $312.92. West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. has a 52-week low of $265.00 and a 52-week high of $413.70. The stock has a market capitalization of $24.98 billion, a PE ratio of 51.17, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 17.97 and a beta of 1.00. 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 issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 24th. The medical instruments supplier reported $1.85 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.50 by $0.35. West Pharmaceutical Services had a net margin of 17.37% and a return on equity of 18.41%. The business had revenue of $746.90 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $709.62 million. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $2.16 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was down .1% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities research analysts predict that West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. will post 6.67 EPS for the current year.

West Pharmaceutical Services Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, November 20th. Investors of record on Wednesday, November 13th were given a dividend of $0.21 per share. The ex-dividend date 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 dividend yield of 0.24%. West Pharmaceutical Services’s payout ratio is currently 12.46%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts recently weighed in on WST shares. Bank of America raised their price objective on West Pharmaceutical Services from $350.00 to $355.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, December 13th. Citigroup assumed coverage on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in a research note on Wednesday, January 8th. They set a “buy” rating and a $400.00 price target on the stock. UBS Group raised shares of West Pharmaceutical Services from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and upped their price objective for the company from $350.00 to $390.00 in a research note on Thursday, December 12th. Finally, Wolfe Research began coverage on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in a research report on Friday, December 13th. They issued a “peer perform” rating on the stock. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $430.20.

Insider Activity at West Pharmaceutical Services

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

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.