<div id="readability-page-1"><p>Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio cut its stake in shares of  West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST - Free Report) by 10.9% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor  owned 30,459 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock after selling 3,722 shares during the period. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio's holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services were worth $9,977,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.</p><ul><li>3 Dividend Champions with room for dividend growth</li></ul><p>Other large investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Whipplewood Advisors LLC bought a new position in  West Pharmaceutical Services during the 4th quarter valued at $25,000.  Centricity Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of  West Pharmaceutical Services during the 4th quarter valued at $35,000.  Cornerstone Planning Group LLC increased its position in shares of  West Pharmaceutical Services by 57.1% during the 4th 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 last quarter.  IFP Advisors Inc increased its position in shares of  West Pharmaceutical Services by 150.9% during the 4th quarter. IFP Advisors Inc now owns 133 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $45,000 after purchasing an additional 80 shares during the last quarter.  Finally, Private Trust Co. NA increased its position in shares of  West Pharmaceutical Services by 138.6% during the 4th quarter. Private Trust Co. NA now owns 136 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $45,000 after purchasing an additional 79 shares during the last quarter. 93.90% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors. </p><h2>West Pharmaceutical Services Trading Down 1.4%</h2><p>Shares of WST opened at $205.67 on Tuesday. The business has a 50-day moving average of $212.63 and a 200 day moving average of $269.89. West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $187.43 and a fifty-two week high of $352.33. The firm has a market cap of $14.78 billion, a P/E ratio of 30.74, 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 quick ratio of 2.23 and a current ratio of 2.79. </p><ul><li>What Factors Will Drive S&amp;P 500 Performance This Year?</li></ul><p>West Pharmaceutical Services (NYSE:WST - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, April 24th. The medical instruments supplier reported $1.45 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.22 by $0.23. The business had revenue of $698.00 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $685.24 million. West Pharmaceutical Services had a return on equity of 18.60% and a net margin of 17.03%. The company's quarterly revenue was up .4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $1.56 EPS.  As a group, research analysts forecast that  West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. will post 6.62 EPS for the current year. </p><h2>West Pharmaceutical Services Dividend Announcement</h2><p>The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, August 6th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, July 30th will be issued a dividend of $0.21 per share. This represents a $0.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.41%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, July 30th. West Pharmaceutical Services's payout ratio is presently 13.19%. </p><h2>Analyst Ratings Changes</h2><ul><li>Healthcare Stocks With at Least 30 Years of Dividend Increases</li></ul><p>WST has been the subject of several research analyst reports. Stephens raised West Pharmaceutical Services to a &#34;strong-buy&#34; rating in a research report on Monday, April 21st. Wall Street Zen lowered West Pharmaceutical Services from a &#34;buy&#34; rating to a &#34;hold&#34; rating in a research report on Thursday, February 27th. Citigroup  reaffirmed a &#34;buy&#34; rating on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in a research report on Thursday. Evercore ISI initiated coverage on West Pharmaceutical Services in a research report on Tuesday, March 18th. They set an &#34;outperform&#34; rating and a $275.00 target price for the company. Finally, KeyCorp decreased their target price on West Pharmaceutical Services from $470.00 to $325.00 and set an &#34;overweight&#34; rating for the company in a research report on Friday, February 14th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, six have given a buy rating and one  has issued  a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, West Pharmaceutical Services currently has an average rating of &#34;Moderate Buy&#34; and an average price target of $332.50.</p><p><b>View Our Latest Analysis on West Pharmaceutical Services</b></p><h2>West Pharmaceutical Services Company Profile</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>See Also</h2><ul><li>Five stocks we like better than West Pharmaceutical Services</li><li>The How And Why of Investing in Oil Stocks</li><li>Workday Stock Price Implosion: An Automatic Buy for AI Investors</li><li>Uptrend Stocks Explained: Learn How to Trade Using Uptrends</li><li>MercadoLibre Is Soaring—Should You Wait for a Better Entry?</li><li>Expert Stock Trading Psychology Tips</li><li>Doubt the Market? 3 Stocks to Rideout Fear, Uncertainty and Doubt</li></ul><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>Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio reduced its stake in West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST) by 10.9%, selling 3,722 shares during the 4th quarter, leaving it with 30,459 shares valued at approximately $9.98 million. Other investors also adjusted their positions in the company. West Pharmaceutical's stock opened at $205.67, with a market cap of $14.78 billion and a P/E ratio of 30.74. The company recently reported earnings of $1.45 per share, exceeding estimates, and announced a quarterly dividend of $0.21 per share.</p>

Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio Sells 3,722 Shares of West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST)