Dudley & Shanley Inc. Has $24.35 Million Position in West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST)

Dudley & Shanley Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST - Free Report) by 15.8% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 81,131 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock after buying an additional 11,085 shares during the period. West Pharmaceutical Services comprises 3.8% of Dudley & Shanley Inc.'s holdings, making the stock its 12th largest position. Dudley & Shanley Inc. owned approximately 0.11% of West Pharmaceutical Services worth $24,352,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the company. Northwest Investment Counselors LLC acquired a new position in West Pharmaceutical Services during the third quarter worth $30,000. Crewe Advisors LLC increased its stake in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 322.7% during 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 last quarter. Brooklyn Investment Group bought a new stake in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in the 3rd quarter valued at about $41,000. Quest Partners LLC raised its holdings in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 5,633.3% in the 2nd quarter. Quest Partners LLC now owns 172 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $57,000 after purchasing an additional 169 shares during the period. Finally, Eastern Bank acquired a new stake in West Pharmaceutical Services in the 3rd quarter valued at about $82,000. Institutional investors own 93.90% of the company's stock.

West Pharmaceutical Services Stock Performance

Shares of WST stock traded down $1.83 on Monday, hitting $329.57. The company's stock had a trading volume of 374,165 shares, compared to its average volume of 569,467. West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $265.00 and a fifty-two week high of $413.70. The company has a market capitalization of $23.87 billion, a PE ratio of 48.90, a PEG ratio of 25.04 and a beta of 1.01. The stock's 50 day moving average is $316.73 and its 200-day moving average is $311.81. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.07, a quick ratio of 2.23 and a current ratio of 3.00.

West Pharmaceutical Services (NYSE:WST - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, October 24th. The medical instruments supplier reported $1.85 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.50 by $0.35. The firm had revenue of $746.90 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $709.62 million. West Pharmaceutical Services had a net margin of 17.37% and a return on equity of 18.41%. The business's revenue was down .1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $2.16 EPS. Equities 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. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, November 13th were issued a dividend of $0.21 per share. This is a positive change from West Pharmaceutical Services's previous quarterly dividend of $0.20. This represents a $0.84 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.25%. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, November 13th. West Pharmaceutical Services's dividend payout ratio is 12.46%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other West Pharmaceutical Services news, VP Charles Witherspoon sold 703 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on 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. This represents a 35.94 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. 0.53% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts have issued reports on the company. Bank of America upped their price objective on West Pharmaceutical Services from $350.00 to $355.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, December 13th. UBS Group upgraded shares of West Pharmaceutical Services from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and upped their price objective for the company from $350.00 to $390.00 in a report on Thursday, December 12th. Finally, Wolfe Research began coverage on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in a research note on Friday, December 13th. They set a "peer perform" rating for the company. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $437.75.

About West Pharmaceutical Services

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.