Azzad Asset Management Inc. ADV Acquires New Shares in West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST)

Azzad Asset Management Inc. ADV acquired a new position in West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST) in the first quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor acquired 10,305 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock, valued at approximately $2,307,000.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Whipplewood Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in the 4th quarter worth approximately $25,000. Centricity Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in West Pharmaceutical Services in the fourth quarter worth approximately $35,000. Private Trust Co. NA lifted its holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services by 138.6% during the fourth quarter. Private Trust Co. NA now owns 136 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $45,000 after buying an additional 79 shares during the period. IFP Advisors Inc lifted its holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services by 150.9% during the fourth quarter. IFP Advisors Inc now owns 133 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $45,000 after buying an additional 80 shares during the period. Finally, Lindbrook Capital LLC boosted its position in West Pharmaceutical Services by 41.9% during the 4th quarter. Lindbrook Capital LLC now owns 220 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $72,000 after acquiring an additional 65 shares in the last quarter. 93.90% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

WST has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. Evercore ISI initiated coverage on West Pharmaceutical Services in a research report on Tuesday, March 18th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $275.00 price objective on the stock. Wall Street Zen cut shares of West Pharmaceutical Services from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, February 27th. Citigroup reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in a research note on Thursday, May 22nd. Finally, Stephens upgraded shares of West Pharmaceutical Services to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Monday, April 21st. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, six have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $332.50.

West Pharmaceutical Services Price Performance

Shares of NYSE WST opened at $221.77 on Friday. West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $187.43 and a fifty-two week high of $352.33. The company has a market cap of $15.93 billion, a PE ratio of 33.15, a P/E/G ratio of 6.74 and a beta of 1.09. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.08, a quick ratio of 2.23 and a current ratio of 2.79. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $212.08 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $260.14.

West Pharmaceutical Services (NYSE:WST) last released its earnings results on Thursday, April 24th. The medical instruments supplier reported $1.45 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.22 by $0.23. West Pharmaceutical Services had a net margin of 17.03% and a return on equity of 18.60%. The company had revenue of $698.00 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $685.24 million. During the same period last year, the business earned $1.56 EPS. West Pharmaceutical Services’s revenue for the quarter was up .4% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities analysts expect that West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. will post 6.62 EPS for the current fiscal year.

West Pharmaceutical Services Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, August 6th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, July 30th will be issued a dividend of $0.21 per share. This represents a $0.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.38%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, July 30th. West Pharmaceutical Services’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 13.19%.

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.