Northwest Bancshares Inc. Lowers Holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST)

Northwest Bancshares Inc. trimmed its stake in West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST - Free Report) by 44.3% during the third quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 10,353 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock after selling 8,246 shares during the quarter. Northwest Bancshares Inc.'s holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services were worth $3,108,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in WST. Avantax Advisory Services Inc. grew its position in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 11.0% during the 1st quarter. Avantax Advisory Services Inc. now owns 907 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $359,000 after buying an additional 90 shares during the period. Ameritas Investment Partners Inc. increased its position in West Pharmaceutical Services by 81.2% during the 1st quarter. Ameritas Investment Partners Inc. now owns 1,910 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $756,000 after buying an additional 856 shares in the last quarter. O Shaughnessy Asset Management LLC boosted its stake in West Pharmaceutical Services by 11.3% during the 1st quarter. O Shaughnessy Asset Management LLC now owns 2,698 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $1,068,000 after purchasing an additional 273 shares during the last quarter. Clearbridge Investments LLC boosted its stake in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 0.7% in the 1st quarter. Clearbridge Investments LLC now owns 4,495 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $1,779,000 after buying an additional 31 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Lake Street Advisors Group LLC increased its stake in West Pharmaceutical Services by 13.6% during the first quarter. Lake Street Advisors Group LLC now owns 792 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $313,000 after acquiring an additional 95 shares during the last quarter. 93.90% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

West Pharmaceutical Services Stock Up 1.3 %

Shares of WST stock traded up $4.00 during trading hours on Wednesday, reaching $308.10. 238,818 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 573,511. The company has a current ratio of 3.00, a quick ratio of 2.23 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.07. The stock's 50 day moving average is $306.05 and its 200-day moving average is $314.99. 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 cap of $22.31 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 45.12, a P/E/G ratio of 23.20 and a beta of 1.00.

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 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates 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 company had revenue of $746.90 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $709.62 million. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $2.16 EPS. West Pharmaceutical Services's revenue for the quarter was down .1% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts predict that West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. will post 6.67 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

West Pharmaceutical Services Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, November 20th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, November 13th will be paid a $0.21 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, November 13th. This represents a $0.84 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.27%. This is a positive change from West Pharmaceutical Services's previous quarterly dividend of $0.20. West Pharmaceutical Services's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 12.46%.

Insider Buying and Selling at West Pharmaceutical Services

In other West Pharmaceutical Services news, VP Charles Witherspoon sold 703 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated 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. The trade was a 35.94 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Company insiders own 0.53% of the company's stock.

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.