Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. Acquires 18,765 Shares of West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. $WST

Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. grew its holdings in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST) by 75.2% during the third quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 43,717 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after purchasing an additional 18,765 shares during the period. Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V.’s holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services were worth $16,209,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the business. Diversify Advisory Services LLC increased its position in West Pharmaceutical Services by 8.9% during the third quarter. Diversify Advisory Services LLC now owns 970 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $372,000 after buying an additional 79 shares during the last quarter. 55 North Private Wealth LLC boosted its stake in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 5.4% during the 3rd quarter. 55 North Private Wealth LLC now owns 708 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $262,000 after acquiring an additional 36 shares in the last quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 6.8% during the 3rd quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC now owns 2,609 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $967,000 after acquiring an additional 167 shares in the last quarter. Community Financial Services Group LLC boosted its stake in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 60.6% during the 3rd quarter. Community Financial Services Group LLC now owns 151 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $55,000 after acquiring an additional 57 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Central Pacific Bank Trust Division acquired a new position in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services during the 3rd quarter valued at about $749,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 93.90% of the company’s stock.

West Pharmaceutical Services Stock Performance

Shares of WST opened at $392.00 on Friday. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $362.02 and a 200 day simple moving average of $337.18. West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. has a 12 month low of $223.83 and a 12 month high of $397.15. The company has a current ratio of 2.82, a quick ratio of 2.12 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.07. The stock has a market capitalization of $27.59 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 50.19, a PEG ratio of 2.76 and a beta of 1.13.

West Pharmaceutical Services (NYSE:WST) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 23rd. The medical instruments supplier reported $2.37 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.08 by $0.29. The company had revenue of $872.30 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $839.98 million. West Pharmaceutical Services had a return on equity of 20.11% and a net margin of 16.98%. The business’s revenue was up 13.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $1.84 EPS. Research analysts forecast that West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. will post 8.92 EPS for the current fiscal year.

West Pharmaceutical Services Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, November 18th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, November 11th will be given a $0.26 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, November 10th. This is a boost from West Pharmaceutical Services’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.22. This represents a $1.04 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.3%. West Pharmaceutical Services’s payout ratio is currently 11.27%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages have recently issued reports on WST. 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. Morgan Stanley raised shares of West Pharmaceutical Services from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and upped their target price for the company from $365.00 to $400.00 in a research note on Tuesday, September 22nd. BNP Paribas Exane started coverage on West Pharmaceutical Services in a report on Monday, July 13th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $447.00 price objective for the company. UBS Group lifted their target price on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services from $340.00 to $415.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, September 9th. Finally, Zacks Research cut West Pharmaceutical Services from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, August 12th. Twelve equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $391.17.

Insider Transactions at West Pharmaceutical Services

In other news, VP Annette Favorite sold 2,524 shares of West Pharmaceutical Services stock in a transaction on Tuesday, September 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $365.00, for a total transaction of $921,260.00. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president owned 21,818 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $7,963,570. This trade represents a 10.37% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders have sold 15,659 shares of company stock worth $5,443,749 in the last three months. Company insiders own 0.60% of the company’s stock.

West Pharmaceutical Services Profile

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.