Dynamic Technology Lab Private Ltd Acquires Shares of 1,582 West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST)

Dynamic Technology Lab Private Ltd purchased a new stake in West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST - Free Report) in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor purchased 1,582 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock, valued at approximately $475,000.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Crewe Advisors LLC grew its position 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 last quarter. Northwest Investment Counselors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $30,000. Quest Partners LLC grew its position in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 5,633.3% during the 2nd 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. LRI Investments LLC acquired a new stake in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services during the 1st quarter worth approximately $86,000. Finally, Blue Trust Inc. grew its holdings in 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 purchasing an additional 186 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 93.90% of the company's stock.

Insider Activity

In other 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 completion of the sale, the vice president now owns 1,253 shares in the company, valued at $388,931.20. The trade was a 35.94 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. 0.53% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

West Pharmaceutical Services Trading Up 0.7 %

NYSE WST traded up $2.36 during trading on Friday, reaching $325.68. 305,786 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 572,081. The company has a quick ratio of 2.23, a current ratio of 3.00 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.07. West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $265.00 and a fifty-two week high of $413.70. The stock's 50-day moving average price is $308.81 and its 200 day moving average price is $313.18. The firm has a market cap of $23.59 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 48.32, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 24.42 and a beta of 1.00.

West Pharmaceutical Services (NYSE:WST - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results 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. 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 company's quarterly revenue was down .1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $2.16 earnings per share. Analysts predict that West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. will post 6.67 EPS for the current year.

West Pharmaceutical Services Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, November 20th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, November 13th were issued a $0.21 dividend. 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 yield of 0.26%. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, November 13th. West Pharmaceutical Services's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 12.46%.

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.