North Growth Management Ltd. increased its holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST - Free Report) by 18.8% during the third quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 19,000 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock after purchasing an additional 3,000 shares during the quarter. North Growth Management Ltd.'s holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services were worth $5,559,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.
A number of other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in WST. Northwest Investment Counselors LLC acquired a new position in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in the 3rd quarter worth $30,000. Crewe Advisors LLC lifted its position 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 worth $31,000 after purchasing an additional 71 shares in the last quarter. Quest Partners LLC lifted its position in 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 worth $57,000 after buying an additional 169 shares in the last quarter. Blue Trust Inc. boosted its stake in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 332.1% during the 2nd 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 during the period. Finally, Eastern Bank purchased a new position in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services during the 3rd quarter valued at $82,000. 93.90% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.
West Pharmaceutical Services Stock Down 0.7 %
Shares of NYSE:WST traded down $2.29 during midday trading on Tuesday, hitting $325.28. 93,526 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 568,617. The company has a market capitalization of $23.56 billion, a PE ratio of 48.61, a P/E/G ratio of 24.51 and a beta of 1.00. West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. has a 52-week low of $265.00 and a 52-week high of $413.70. 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 business's fifty day simple moving average is $303.61 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $316.64.
West Pharmaceutical Services (NYSE:WST - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 24th. The medical instruments supplier reported $1.85 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.50 by $0.35. West Pharmaceutical Services had a return on equity of 18.41% and a net margin of 17.37%. The business had revenue of $746.90 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $709.62 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $2.16 EPS. The firm's quarterly revenue was down .1% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, research analysts predict that West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. will post 6.66 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.
West Pharmaceutical Services Increases Dividend
The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, November 20th. Investors of record on Wednesday, November 13th will be paid a $0.21 dividend. This represents a $0.84 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.26%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, November 13th. This is a positive change from West Pharmaceutical Services's previous quarterly dividend of $0.20. West Pharmaceutical Services's payout ratio is presently 12.46%.
Insider Buying and Selling
In related news, VP Charles Witherspoon sold 703 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, October 29th. The stock was 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 directly owns 1,253 shares in the company, valued at approximately $388,931.20. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. 0.53% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.
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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