<div id="readability-page-1"><p>BNP Paribas Financial Markets increased its holdings in shares of  West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST - Free Report) by 30.8% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 175,899 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock after buying an additional 41,416 shares during the quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets owned 0.24% of West Pharmaceutical Services worth $57,617,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).</p><ul><li>3 Dividend Champions with room for dividend growth</li></ul><p>Other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Whipplewood Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of  West Pharmaceutical Services during the fourth quarter valued at about $25,000.  Retirement Wealth Solutions LLC acquired a new position in  West Pharmaceutical Services during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $34,000.  Centricity Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of  West Pharmaceutical Services in the fourth quarter worth $35,000.  Cornerstone Planning Group LLC lifted its stake in shares of  West Pharmaceutical Services by 57.1% during the fourth quarter. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC now owns 110 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $38,000 after buying an additional 40 shares during the period.  Finally, Private Trust Co. NA grew its holdings in shares of  West Pharmaceutical Services by 138.6% during the fourth quarter. Private Trust Co. NA now owns 136 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $45,000 after buying an additional 79 shares during the last quarter. 93.90% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds. </p><h2>Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth</h2><p>A number of analysts have commented on WST shares. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised West Pharmaceutical Services from a &#34;hold&#34; rating to a &#34;buy&#34; rating and set a $250.00 price target for the company in a research report on Friday, February 14th. KeyCorp dropped their target price on West Pharmaceutical Services from $470.00 to $325.00 and set an &#34;overweight&#34; rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, February 14th. Evercore ISI initiated coverage on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in a research report on Tuesday, March 18th. They set an &#34;outperform&#34; rating and a $275.00 price target for the company. Citigroup started coverage on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in a report on Wednesday, January 8th. They issued a &#34;buy&#34; rating and a $400.00 price objective on the stock. Finally, StockNews.com cut shares of West Pharmaceutical Services from a &#34;buy&#34; rating to a &#34;hold&#34; rating in a report on Thursday, February 27th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, six have issued  a buy rating and one  has issued  a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, West Pharmaceutical Services  has an average rating of &#34;Moderate Buy&#34; and an average target price of $332.50.</p><ul><li>What Factors Will Drive S&amp;P 500 Performance This Year?</li></ul><p><b>Check Out Our Latest Stock Report on WST</b></p><h2>West Pharmaceutical Services Price Performance</h2><p>NYSE:WST opened at $205.45 on Wednesday. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $217.46 and a 200-day moving average price of $279.88. West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. has a 1-year low of $187.43 and a 1-year high of $372.52. The firm has a market cap of $14.76 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 30.71, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 6.74 and a beta of 1.14. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.08, a current ratio of 2.79 and a quick ratio of 2.23. </p><ul><li>Healthcare Stocks With at Least 30 Years of Dividend Increases</li></ul><p>West Pharmaceutical Services (NYSE:WST - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 24th. The medical instruments supplier reported $1.45 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.22 by $0.23. West Pharmaceutical Services had a net margin of 17.03% and a return on equity of 18.60%. The business had revenue of $698.00 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $685.24 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $1.56 earnings per share. The company's revenue was up .4% compared to the same quarter last year.  Equities research analysts forecast that  West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. will post 6.62 EPS for the current year. </p><h2>West Pharmaceutical Services Announces Dividend</h2><p>The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, August 6th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, July 30th will be given a $0.21 dividend. This represents a $0.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.41%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, July 30th. West Pharmaceutical Services's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 13.19%. </p><h2>About West Pharmaceutical Services</h2> (Free Report)<p>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.</p><h2>Featured Articles</h2><ul><li>Five stocks we like better than West Pharmaceutical Services</li><li>Which Wall Street Analysts are the Most Accurate?</li><li>3 Mid-Cap Medical Stocks Outperforming the Market</li><li>How to Start Investing in Real Estate</li><li>The Top-Ranked Insider Buys From April by Market Cap</li><li>What Are Treasury Bonds?</li><li>Is Eli Lilly a Buy After Weak Earnings and CVS-Novo Partnership?</li></ul><p><strong>Want to see what other hedge funds are holding WST?</strong> Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST - Free Report).</p><p><img src="https://imageproxy.pbkrs.com/https://www.marketbeat.com/scripts/SECFilingChart.ashx/query-UHJlZml4PU5ZU0UmU3ltYm9sPVdTVA?x-oss-process=image/auto-orient,1/interlace,1/resize,w_1440,h_1440/quality,q_95/format,jpg" width="650" height="350" original-src="https://imageproxy.pbkrs.com/https://www.marketbeat.com/scripts/SECFilingChart.ashx/query-UHJlZml4PU5ZU0UmU3ltYm9sPVdTVA"/></p><p><em>This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest and most accurate reporting. This story was reviewed by MarketBeat's editorial team prior to publication. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.</em></p><h2>Should You Invest $1,000 in West Pharmaceutical Services Right Now?</h2><p>Before you consider West Pharmaceutical Services, you'll want to hear this.</p><p>MarketBeat keeps track of Wall Street's top-rated and best performing research analysts and the stocks they recommend to their clients on a daily basis. MarketBeat has identified the five stocks that top analysts are quietly whispering to their clients to buy now before the broader market catches on... and West Pharmaceutical Services wasn't on the list.</p><p>While West Pharmaceutical Services currently has a Buy rating among analysts, top-rated analysts believe these five stocks are better buys.</p><p>View The Five Stocks Here</p>                  </div>

<p>BNP Paribas Financial Markets increased its stake in West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST) by 30.8% in Q4, owning 175,899 shares valued at $57.6 million. Other hedge funds also adjusted their positions. Analysts have mixed ratings on WST, with a target price range from $250 to $400. The stock opened at $205.45, with a market cap of $14.76 billion and a P/E ratio of 30.71. The company reported earnings of $1.45 per share, exceeding estimates, and announced a quarterly dividend of $0.21.</p>

BNP Paribas Financial Markets Raises Position in West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST)