Polar Asset Management Partners Inc. Makes New $5.46 Million Investment in West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST)

Polar Asset Management Partners Inc. bought a new position in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST - Free Report) during the third quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund bought 18,200 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock, valued at approximately $5,463,000.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of WST. Crewe Advisors LLC boosted its stake in West Pharmaceutical Services by 322.7% in the 2nd quarter. Crewe Advisors LLC now owns 93 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $31,000 after purchasing an additional 71 shares during the period. Northwest Investment Counselors LLC acquired a new stake in West Pharmaceutical Services during the 3rd quarter valued at $30,000. Brooklyn Investment Group purchased a new stake in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in the third quarter valued at $41,000. Quest Partners LLC boosted its position in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 5,633.3% in the second quarter. Quest Partners LLC now owns 172 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $57,000 after buying an additional 169 shares during the period. Finally, Blue Trust Inc. grew its holdings in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 332.1% during the second quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 242 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $80,000 after buying an additional 186 shares in the last quarter. 93.90% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

West Pharmaceutical Services Stock Down 0.9 %

NYSE:WST traded down $2.88 during trading hours on Thursday, hitting $318.20. 272,566 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 567,514. West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. has a twelve month low of $265.00 and a twelve month high of $413.70. The firm has a market cap of $23.04 billion, a P/E ratio of 47.21, a P/E/G ratio of 24.42 and a beta of 1.01. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.07, a quick ratio of 2.23 and a current ratio of 3.00. The stock's fifty day moving average price is $309.73 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $312.23.

West Pharmaceutical Services (NYSE:WST - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, October 24th. The medical instruments supplier reported $1.85 earnings per share 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 return on equity of 18.41% and a net margin of 17.37%. The firm's quarterly revenue was down .1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $2.16 EPS. On average, research analysts expect that West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. will post 6.64 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

West Pharmaceutical Services Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, November 20th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, November 13th were paid a dividend of $0.21 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, November 13th. This represents a $0.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.26%. This is a positive change from West Pharmaceutical Services's previous quarterly dividend of $0.20. West Pharmaceutical Services's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 12.46%.

Insider Activity

In other news, VP Charles Witherspoon sold 703 shares of West Pharmaceutical Services stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, October 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $310.40, for a total transaction of $218,211.20. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now directly owns 1,253 shares in the company, valued at $388,931.20. The trade was a 35.94 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. 0.53% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

West Pharmaceutical Services Company Profile

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.