West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST) Shares Purchased by Crossmark Global Holdings Inc.

Crossmark Global Holdings Inc. increased its position in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST) by 41.5% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 7,877 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after purchasing an additional 2,309 shares during the period. Crossmark Global Holdings Inc.’s holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services were worth $2,581,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of WST. Northwest Investment Counselors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $30,000. Retirement Wealth Solutions LLC acquired a new stake in West Pharmaceutical Services during the fourth quarter worth $34,000. Brooklyn Investment Group purchased a new stake in West Pharmaceutical Services in the third quarter valued at $41,000. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB lifted its stake in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 60.8% in the 4th quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB now owns 209 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $68,000 after purchasing an additional 79 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Hilltop National Bank grew its holdings in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 47.9% during the 4th quarter. Hilltop National Bank now owns 216 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $71,000 after purchasing an additional 70 shares during the period. 93.90% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Activity at West Pharmaceutical Services

In related news, VP Charles Witherspoon sold 703 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, October 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $310.40, for a total value of $218,211.20. Following the sale, the vice president now owns 1,253 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $388,931.20. This trade represents a 35.94 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. 0.53% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

West Pharmaceutical Services Trading Up 0.8 %

Shares of WST stock opened at $347.51 on Thursday. West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $265.00 and a fifty-two week high of $413.70. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $327.60 and a 200 day moving average price of $313.16. The stock has a market capitalization of $25.17 billion, a P/E ratio of 51.56, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 17.97 and a beta of 1.00. 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 (NYSE:WST) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 24th. The medical instruments supplier reported $1.85 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.50 by $0.35. The business had revenue of $746.90 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $709.62 million. West Pharmaceutical Services had a net margin of 17.37% and a return on equity of 18.41%. The company’s quarterly revenue was down .1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $2.16 earnings per share. Equities research analysts predict that West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. will post 6.67 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

WST has been the topic of several research analyst reports. Citigroup started coverage on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in a report on Wednesday, January 8th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $400.00 price objective on the stock. Bank of America upped their price objective on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services from $350.00 to $355.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, December 13th. UBS Group upgraded shares of West Pharmaceutical Services from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and lifted their target price for the company from $350.00 to $390.00 in a report on Thursday, December 12th. Finally, Wolfe Research began coverage on West Pharmaceutical Services in a research note on Friday, December 13th. They set a “peer perform” rating on the stock. Two research analysts have 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 an average target price of $430.20.

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.