West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST) Receives Consensus Rating of “Buy” from Brokerages

Shares of West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST) have received an average rating of “Buy” from the thirteen research firms that are currently covering the firm, MarketBeat reports. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have assigned a buy rating and three have given a strong buy rating to the company. The average 12 month price objective among brokerages that have covered the stock in the last year is $326.2222.

WST has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. Wall Street Zen raised West Pharmaceutical Services from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Saturday, December 20th. UBS Group boosted their target price on West Pharmaceutical Services from $320.00 to $355.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, October 24th. Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in a research report on Friday, January 9th. KeyCorp lifted their price target on West Pharmaceutical Services from $325.00 to $350.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, October 24th. Finally, Barclays boosted their price objective on West Pharmaceutical Services from $275.00 to $325.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Monday, October 27th.

West Pharmaceutical Services Price Performance

WST stock opened at $243.91 on Wednesday. The firm has a market cap of $17.55 billion, a P/E ratio of 36.13, a P/E/G ratio of 3.43 and a beta of 1.18. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $263.07 and its 200 day moving average is $261.84. West Pharmaceutical Services has a 52 week low of $187.43 and a 52 week high of $325.20. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.07, a quick ratio of 2.18 and a current ratio of 2.87.

West Pharmaceutical Services Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, February 4th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, January 28th were given a dividend of $0.22 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, January 28th. This represents a $0.88 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.4%. West Pharmaceutical Services’s dividend payout ratio is presently 13.04%.

Institutional Trading of West Pharmaceutical Services

Large investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Elyxium Wealth LLC bought a new position in West Pharmaceutical Services during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Private Trust Co. NA raised its holdings in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 156.4% during the fourth quarter. Private Trust Co. NA now owns 100 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $28,000 after acquiring an additional 61 shares in the last quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC bought a new position in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $31,000. CYBER HORNET ETFs LLC purchased a new stake in West Pharmaceutical Services in the second quarter worth $25,000. Finally, Torren Management LLC bought a new stake in West Pharmaceutical Services in the fourth quarter valued at $34,000. 93.90% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

About West Pharmaceutical Services

West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc is a global developer and manufacturer of components, systems and services that enable the containment and delivery of injectable drugs. The company focuses on high-quality packaging and delivery solutions for the pharmaceutical and biotech industries, producing primary drug packaging components and specialized drug delivery devices used for vaccines, biologics and other injectable therapies. West is known for its elastomeric closures, seals and polymer components that maintain sterility and compatibility with sensitive drug formulations.

In addition to component manufacturing, West provides engineered delivery systems and support services across the product lifecycle.