West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST) Stock Has Consensus Price Target of $391.17

West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST) has been given an average rating of “Moderate Buy” by the fourteen analysts that are currently covering the stock, MarketBeat reports. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twelve have given a buy rating to the company. The average 12 month price target among analysts that have covered the stock in the last year is $391.17.

WST has been the topic of several recent research reports. Evercore reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and issued a $425.00 price target on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in a research report on Monday, July 27th. UBS Group boosted their price objective on West Pharmaceutical Services from $340.00 to $415.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, September 9th. Morgan Stanley raised West Pharmaceutical Services from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and increased their price objective for the stock from $365.00 to $400.00 in a research note on Tuesday, September 22nd. Citigroup increased their price objective on West Pharmaceutical Services from $400.00 to $412.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, August 3rd. Finally, Barclays raised their target price on West Pharmaceutical Services from $400.00 to $440.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 7th.

Insider Transactions at West Pharmaceutical Services

In related news, VP Annette Favorite sold 2,524 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, September 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $365.00, for a total value of $921,260.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president directly owned 21,818 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $7,963,570. This trade represents a 10.37% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. In the last quarter, insiders sold 15,659 shares of company stock valued at $5,443,749. Insiders own 0.60% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On West Pharmaceutical Services

A number of large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in WST. BlackRock Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services during the second quarter valued at approximately $2,387,990,000. State Street Corp lifted its stake in West Pharmaceutical Services by 1.7% in the second quarter. State Street Corp now owns 3,348,698 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $1,202,183,000 after acquiring an additional 54,920 shares during the period. Bank of New York Mellon Corp purchased a new stake in West Pharmaceutical Services in the second quarter worth $733,733,000. Generation Investment Management LLP bought a new stake in West Pharmaceutical Services in the second quarter valued at $728,168,000. Finally, Findlay Park Partners LLP bought a new position in West Pharmaceutical Services in the 2nd quarter worth $214,196,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 93.90% of the company’s stock.

West Pharmaceutical Services Stock Performance

Shares of West Pharmaceutical Services stock opened at $394.30 on Tuesday. The company has a quick ratio of 2.12, a current ratio of 2.82 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.07. West Pharmaceutical Services has a twelve month low of $223.83 and a twelve month high of $397.16. The stock has a market cap of $27.75 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 50.49, a P/E/G ratio of 2.75 and a beta of 1.13. The company’s fifty day moving average is $361.16 and its 200 day moving average is $336.80.

West Pharmaceutical Services (NYSE:WST) last released its earnings results on Thursday, July 23rd. The medical instruments supplier reported $2.37 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.08 by $0.29. West Pharmaceutical Services had a net margin of 16.98% and a return on equity of 20.11%. The business had revenue of $872.30 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $839.98 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $1.84 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 13.8% compared to the same quarter last year. Sell-side analysts forecast that West Pharmaceutical Services will post 8.93 EPS for the current year.

West Pharmaceutical Services Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, November 18th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, November 11th will be paid a dividend of $0.26 per share. This represents a $1.04 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.3%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, November 10th. This is an increase from West Pharmaceutical Services’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.22. West Pharmaceutical Services’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 11.27%.

About West Pharmaceutical Services

West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc develops and manufactures components and delivery systems used in the administration and packaging of injectable medicines and other healthcare products. Its offerings include elastomer closures, seals, syringe components, drug-delivery systems, and other specialized packaging components designed to support the safety, quality, and performance of pharmaceutical products.

The company also provides contract-manufacturing services for pharmaceutical, biotechnology, and medical-device customers.