West Pharmaceutical Services (NYSE:WST) Upgraded by StockNews.com to Buy Rating

StockNews.com upgraded shares of West Pharmaceutical Services (NYSE:WST) from a hold rating to a buy rating in a research note released on Tuesday morning.

WST has been the topic of a number of other reports. Citigroup began coverage on West Pharmaceutical Services in a report on Wednesday, January 8th. They set a “buy” rating and a $400.00 price objective on the stock. Bank of America boosted their price target on West Pharmaceutical Services from $350.00 to $355.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, December 13th. Wolfe Research started coverage on West Pharmaceutical Services in a research note on Friday, December 13th. They set a “peer perform” rating for the company. Finally, UBS Group upgraded shares of West Pharmaceutical Services from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and boosted their target price for the company from $350.00 to $390.00 in a research note on Thursday, December 12th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $403.75.

West Pharmaceutical Services Price Performance

NYSE:WST opened at $322.40 on Tuesday. The company has a market capitalization of $23.35 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 47.83, a PEG ratio of 19.31 and a beta of 1.01. The company has a 50-day moving average of $332.35 and a 200-day moving average of $315.07. West Pharmaceutical Services has a 52 week low of $265.00 and a 52 week high of $409.72. 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 Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, February 11th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 7th were paid a $0.21 dividend. This represents a $0.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.26%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 7th. West Pharmaceutical Services’s dividend payout ratio is currently 12.46%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On West Pharmaceutical Services

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Whipplewood Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Northwest Investment Counselors LLC bought a new position in West Pharmaceutical Services in the 3rd quarter valued at $30,000. Retirement Wealth Solutions LLC acquired a new stake in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in the 4th quarter valued at $34,000. Centricity Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services during the fourth quarter worth $35,000. Finally, Cornerstone Planning Group LLC lifted its stake in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 57.1% during the fourth quarter. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC now owns 110 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $38,000 after acquiring an additional 40 shares during the period. 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.