Banque Cantonale Vaudoise lowered its stake in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST - Free Report) by 65.2% in the third quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 2,707 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock after selling 5,066 shares during the period. Banque Cantonale Vaudoise's holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services were worth $813,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.
Other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. LGT Group Foundation acquired a new position in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in the second quarter valued at approximately $68,854,000. Liontrust Investment Partners LLP purchased a new position in West Pharmaceutical Services in the second quarter valued at $64,196,000. Iron Triangle Partners LP acquired a new position in West Pharmaceutical Services during the 1st quarter worth $47,381,000. Sei Investments Co. raised its position in West Pharmaceutical Services by 12.7% in the 2nd quarter. Sei Investments Co. now owns 401,026 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $132,095,000 after purchasing an additional 45,208 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Canada Pension Plan Investment Board grew its position in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 25.0% during the second quarter. Canada Pension Plan Investment Board now owns 207,564 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $68,370,000 after buying an additional 41,454 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 93.90% of the company's stock.
West Pharmaceutical Services Stock Down 1.3 %
Shares of WST stock traded down $4.29 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $316.59. 556,998 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 573,753. West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. has a 12-month low of $265.00 and a 12-month high of $413.70. The business's fifty day moving average is $307.01 and its two-hundred day moving average is $314.66. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.07, a current ratio of 3.00 and a quick ratio of 2.23. The firm has a market capitalization of $22.93 billion, a P/E ratio of 46.97, a P/E/G ratio of 22.97 and a beta of 1.00.
West Pharmaceutical Services (NYSE:WST - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 24th. The medical instruments supplier reported $1.85 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.50 by $0.35. West Pharmaceutical Services had a net margin of 17.37% and a return on equity of 18.41%. The business had revenue of $746.90 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $709.62 million. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $2.16 EPS. The company's revenue for the quarter was down .1% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, research analysts expect that West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. will post 6.67 EPS for the current fiscal year.
West Pharmaceutical Services Increases Dividend
The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, November 20th. Investors of record on Wednesday, November 13th were given a $0.21 dividend. This is an increase from West Pharmaceutical Services's previous quarterly dividend of $0.20. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, November 13th. This represents a $0.84 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.27%. West Pharmaceutical Services's dividend payout ratio is 12.46%.
Insiders Place Their Bets
In related news, VP Charles Witherspoon sold 703 shares of West Pharmaceutical Services 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 in the company, valued at $388,931.20. This trade represents a 35.94 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. 0.53% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.
West Pharmaceutical Services Company Profile
(
Free Report)
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.
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