West Pharmaceutical Services (NYSE:WST) Hits New 52-Week Low – What’s Next?

West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST)’s stock price reached a new 52-week low during trading on Thursday . The stock traded as low as $256.27 and last traded at $229.38, with a volume of 16866 shares. The stock had previously closed at $322.28.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

WST has been the topic of several research reports. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised West Pharmaceutical Services from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $250.00 target price on the stock in a research report on Friday. Bank of America raised their price objective on West Pharmaceutical Services from $350.00 to $355.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, December 13th. Citigroup assumed coverage on West Pharmaceutical Services in a report on Wednesday, January 8th. They set a “buy” rating and a $400.00 target price for the company. KeyCorp reduced their price target on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services from $470.00 to $325.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Friday. Finally, UBS Group upgraded shares of West Pharmaceutical Services from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and lifted their price objective 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 six have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, West Pharmaceutical Services presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $344.00.

West Pharmaceutical Services Stock Performance

The company has a market capitalization of $15.56 billion, a PE ratio of 31.87, a PEG ratio of 19.31 and a beta of 1.01. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $327.86 and a two-hundred day moving average of $313.82. The company has a quick ratio of 2.23, a current ratio of 3.00 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.07.

West Pharmaceutical Services (NYSE:WST) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, February 13th. The medical instruments supplier reported $1.82 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.75 by $0.07. West Pharmaceutical Services had a net margin of 17.37% and a return on equity of 18.41%. Research analysts anticipate that West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. will post 6.67 EPS for the current year.

West Pharmaceutical Services Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, February 11th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 7th were given a dividend of $0.21 per share. This represents a $0.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.39%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 7th. West Pharmaceutical Services’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 12.46%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On West Pharmaceutical Services

A number of large investors have recently bought and sold shares of WST. Whipplewood Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services during the 4th quarter worth approximately $25,000. Northwest Investment Counselors LLC purchased a new stake in West Pharmaceutical Services in the 3rd quarter worth $30,000. Retirement Wealth Solutions LLC acquired a new position in West Pharmaceutical Services during the fourth quarter worth $34,000. Centricity Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in West Pharmaceutical Services during the fourth quarter valued at $35,000. Finally, Cornerstone Planning Group LLC grew its position in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 57.1% in the fourth quarter. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC now owns 110 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $38,000 after purchasing 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.