Seilern Investment Management Ltd Makes New $145.38 Million Investment in West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST)

Seilern Investment Management Ltd acquired a new stake in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST) in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor acquired 443,825 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock, valued at approximately $145,379,000. West Pharmaceutical Services accounts for about 8.3% of Seilern Investment Management Ltd’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 4th biggest holding.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in WST. Northwest Investment Counselors LLC purchased a new position in West Pharmaceutical Services during the 3rd quarter valued at about $30,000. Retirement Wealth Solutions LLC bought a new stake in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in the 4th quarter worth approximately $34,000. Brooklyn Investment Group purchased a new position in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services during the third quarter valued at approximately $41,000. Hilltop National Bank increased its stake in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 47.9% during the fourth quarter. Hilltop National Bank now owns 216 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $71,000 after buying an additional 70 shares during the period. Finally, Eastern Bank bought a new position in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services during the third quarter valued at approximately $82,000. Institutional investors own 93.90% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

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

Insider Buying and Selling at West Pharmaceutical Services

In other news, VP Charles Witherspoon sold 703 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, October 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $310.40, for a total value of $218,211.20. Following the transaction, the vice president now owns 1,253 shares in the company, valued at approximately $388,931.20. This represents a 35.94 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. 0.53% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

West Pharmaceutical Services Stock Down 0.3 %

NYSE:WST opened at $336.15 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.07, a current ratio of 3.00 and a quick ratio of 2.23. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $327.01 and its 200-day moving average price is $312.65. The company has a market capitalization of $24.34 billion, a PE ratio of 49.87, a P/E/G ratio of 17.72 and a beta of 1.00. West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. has a 1-year low of $265.00 and a 1-year high of $413.70.

West Pharmaceutical Services (NYSE:WST) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 24th. The medical instruments supplier reported $1.85 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates 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 for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $709.62 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $2.16 earnings per share. The business’s revenue was down .1% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities analysts predict that West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. will post 6.67 EPS for the current fiscal year.

West Pharmaceutical Services Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed 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. This represents a $0.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.25%. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, November 13th. This is a positive change from West Pharmaceutical Services’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.20. West Pharmaceutical Services’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 12.46%.

West Pharmaceutical Services 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.