Riverbridge Partners LLC Sells 21,456 Shares of West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST)

Riverbridge Partners LLC decreased its holdings in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST) by 4.7% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 435,293 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after selling 21,456 shares during the quarter. West Pharmaceutical Services accounts for approximately 1.9% of Riverbridge Partners LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 14th largest position. Riverbridge Partners LLC’s holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services were worth $142,585,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in WST. Covestor Ltd raised its position in West Pharmaceutical Services by 14.3% in the third quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 320 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $96,000 after purchasing an additional 40 shares during the last quarter. UMB Bank n.a. increased its stake in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 1.2% in the third quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 3,941 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $1,183,000 after buying an additional 47 shares during the period. Kensington Investment Counsel LLC raised its holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services by 2.8% in the 3rd quarter. Kensington Investment Counsel LLC now owns 1,752 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $526,000 after buying an additional 47 shares during the last quarter. Empowered Funds LLC boosted its position in West Pharmaceutical Services by 3.9% during the 3rd quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 1,377 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $413,000 after buying an additional 52 shares during the period. Finally, Empirical Finance LLC grew its holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services by 2.4% during the 3rd quarter. Empirical Finance LLC now owns 2,416 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $725,000 after acquiring an additional 57 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 93.90% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at West Pharmaceutical Services

In other West Pharmaceutical Services news, VP Charles Witherspoon sold 703 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction 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 transaction, the vice president now directly owns 1,253 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $388,931.20. This trade represents a 35.94 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Insiders own 0.53% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Wolfe Research started coverage on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in a research note on Friday, December 13th. They set a “peer perform” rating for the company. Citigroup assumed coverage on West Pharmaceutical Services in a research report on Wednesday, January 8th. They set a “buy” rating and a $400.00 target price for the company. Bank of America upped their price target on West Pharmaceutical Services from $350.00 to $355.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, December 13th. Finally, UBS Group raised West Pharmaceutical Services from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and lifted their price objective for the stock from $350.00 to $390.00 in a research note on Thursday, December 12th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, West Pharmaceutical Services presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $430.20.

West Pharmaceutical Services Stock Performance

Shares of West Pharmaceutical Services stock opened at $347.51 on Thursday. The company has a market cap of $25.17 billion, a P/E ratio of 51.56, a PEG ratio of 18.42 and a beta of 1.00. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $327.60 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $313.16. The company has a current ratio of 3.00, a quick ratio of 2.23 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.07. West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. has a 1-year low of $265.00 and a 1-year high of $413.70.

West Pharmaceutical Services (NYSE:WST) last released its earnings results on Thursday, October 24th. The medical instruments supplier reported $1.85 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.50 by $0.35. The company had revenue of $746.90 million for 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%. West Pharmaceutical Services’s quarterly revenue was down .1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $2.16 EPS. As a group, analysts anticipate that West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. will post 6.67 EPS for the current year.

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.