BidaskClub Downgrades West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST) to Strong Sell

West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST) was downgraded by analysts at BidaskClub from a “sell” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a report released on Thursday.

A number of other research analysts have also issued reports on the stock. Zacks Investment Research lowered shares of West Pharmaceutical Services from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 19th. Jefferies Group LLC restated a “hold” rating and set a $90.00 price target on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in a research note on Thursday, June 8th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, one has assigned a hold rating and two have given a buy rating to the company. The stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $90.18.

Shares of West Pharmaceutical Services (WST) traded down 1.27% during midday trading on Thursday, reaching $86.40. 301,022 shares of the company traded hands. The company has a market capitalization of $6.39 billion, a PE ratio of 37.08 and a beta of 1.10. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $94.28 and a 200 day moving average price of $88.75. West Pharmaceutical Services has a 1-year low of $70.17 and a 1-year high of $99.91.

West Pharmaceutical Services (NYSE:WST) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 27th. The medical instruments supplier reported $0.66 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the Zacks’ consensus estimate of $0.65 by $0.01. West Pharmaceutical Services had a net margin of 11.42% and a return on equity of 14.02%. The business had revenue of $397.60 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $406 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $0.59 EPS. West Pharmaceutical Services’s revenue for the quarter was up 2.5% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, analysts expect that West Pharmaceutical Services will post $2.70 earnings per share for the current year.

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In other West Pharmaceutical Services news, CFO William J. Federici sold 54,996 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, May 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $95.45, for a total transaction of $5,249,368.20. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 1.90% of the company’s stock.

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. State Board of Administration of Florida Retirement System raised its position in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 16.7% in the second quarter. State Board of Administration of Florida Retirement System now owns 88,252 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $8,342,000 after buying an additional 12,609 shares during the last quarter. Marshall Wace North America L.P. increased its stake in West Pharmaceutical Services by 17.2% in the second quarter. Marshall Wace North America L.P. now owns 145,560 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $13,829,000 after buying an additional 21,369 shares during the period. BNP Paribas Arbitrage SA increased its stake in West Pharmaceutical Services by 79.2% in the second quarter. BNP Paribas Arbitrage SA now owns 29,042 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $2,745,000 after buying an additional 12,833 shares during the period. Legal & General Group Plc increased its stake in West Pharmaceutical Services by 24.2% in the second quarter. Legal & General Group Plc now owns 61,458 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $5,810,000 after buying an additional 11,970 shares during the period. Finally, Bank of New York Mellon Corp increased its stake in West Pharmaceutical Services by 1.3% in the second quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 853,482 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $80,671,000 after buying an additional 11,166 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 91.98% of the company’s stock.

West Pharmaceutical Services Company Profile

West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc is a manufacturer of packaging components and delivery systems for injectable drugs and healthcare products. The Company’s products include vial containment solutions, prefillable systems, self-injection platforms, cartridge systems and components, reconstitution and transfer systems, intradermal delivery solutions, specialty components, and contract manufacturing and analytical services.