Hilton Capital Management LLC bought a new stake in West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST - Free Report) during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm bought 4,063 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock, valued at approximately $1,220,000.
A number of other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in WST. Northwest Investment Counselors LLC purchased a new stake in West Pharmaceutical Services during the 3rd quarter worth $30,000. Crewe Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 322.7% in the second quarter. Crewe Advisors LLC now owns 93 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $31,000 after buying an additional 71 shares in the last quarter. Quest Partners LLC raised its holdings 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 valued at $57,000 after buying an additional 169 shares during the period. Blue Trust Inc. lifted its position in West Pharmaceutical Services by 332.1% during the 2nd quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 242 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $80,000 after acquiring an additional 186 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Eastern Bank purchased a new position in West Pharmaceutical Services in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $82,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 93.90% of the company's stock.
Insider Buying and Selling at West Pharmaceutical Services
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 completion of the sale, the vice president now owns 1,253 shares in the company, valued at approximately $388,931.20. The trade was a 35.94 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. 0.53% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.
West Pharmaceutical Services Stock Down 0.7 %
Shares of WST traded down $2.14 during mid-day trading on Thursday, reaching $309.52. 13,817 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 571,979. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $306.23 and a 200 day simple moving average of $314.97. West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. has a 12-month low of $265.00 and a 12-month high of $413.70. The company has a quick ratio of 2.23, a current ratio of 3.00 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.07. The firm has a market cap of $22.42 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 46.24, a P/E/G ratio of 22.97 and a beta of 1.00.
West Pharmaceutical Services (NYSE:WST - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 24th. The medical instruments supplier reported $1.85 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates 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 firm had revenue of $746.90 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $709.62 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $2.16 EPS. The firm's revenue was down .1% compared to the same quarter last year. Sell-side 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 disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, November 20th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, November 13th were issued a dividend of $0.21 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, November 13th. This is an increase from West Pharmaceutical Services's previous quarterly dividend of $0.20. This represents a $0.84 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.27%. West Pharmaceutical Services's payout ratio is currently 12.46%.
West Pharmaceutical Services 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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