Fulton Breakefield Broenniman LLC Purchases New Stake in West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST)

Fulton Breakefield Broenniman LLC acquired a new position in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST) during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor acquired 1,170 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock, valued at approximately $383,000.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of WST. Northwest Investment Counselors LLC purchased a new position in West Pharmaceutical Services in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Retirement Wealth Solutions LLC purchased a new position in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in the fourth quarter valued at $34,000. Brooklyn Investment Group acquired a new position in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services during the 3rd quarter worth $41,000. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB boosted its position in shares of 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 worth $68,000 after buying an additional 79 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Hilltop National Bank grew its stake in West Pharmaceutical Services by 47.9% in the 4th quarter. Hilltop National Bank now owns 216 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $71,000 after acquiring an additional 70 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 93.90% of the company’s stock.

West Pharmaceutical Services Price Performance

WST stock opened at $343.67 on Wednesday. The firm has a market cap of $24.89 billion, a P/E ratio of 50.99, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 18.59 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, Inc. has a 1 year low of $265.00 and a 1 year high of $413.70. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $329.87 and a 200-day simple moving average of $313.68.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

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

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.