AMI Asset Management Corp Has $55.27 Million Holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST)

AMI Asset Management Corp lifted its stake in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST - Free Report) by 15.1% during the third quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 184,146 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock after purchasing an additional 24,218 shares during the period. West Pharmaceutical Services makes up about 3.0% of AMI Asset Management Corp's holdings, making the stock its 12th biggest position. AMI Asset Management Corp owned 0.25% of West Pharmaceutical Services worth $55,273,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of WST. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Holdings Inc. grew its position in West Pharmaceutical Services by 1.5% during the 1st quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Holdings Inc. now owns 191,469 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $75,766,000 after purchasing an additional 2,759 shares in the last quarter. Mizuho Markets Americas LLC raised its position in West Pharmaceutical Services by 142.3% during the first quarter. Mizuho Markets Americas LLC now owns 29,628 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $11,724,000 after buying an additional 17,399 shares during the period. Tidal Investments LLC lifted its stake in West Pharmaceutical Services by 54.7% in the 1st quarter. Tidal Investments LLC now owns 10,574 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $4,181,000 after acquiring an additional 3,738 shares in the last quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC boosted its position in West Pharmaceutical Services by 44.4% during the 1st quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 12,365 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $4,893,000 after acquiring an additional 3,802 shares during the period. Finally, Bahl & Gaynor Inc. grew its stake in West Pharmaceutical Services by 70.1% during the 1st quarter. Bahl & Gaynor Inc. now owns 4,976 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $1,969,000 after acquiring an additional 2,050 shares in the last quarter. 93.90% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

West Pharmaceutical Services Stock Down 1.6 %

Shares of NYSE:WST traded down $5.05 during midday trading on Wednesday, hitting $313.36. 672,100 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 568,004. The company has a market capitalization of $22.69 billion, a PE ratio of 46.49, a P/E/G ratio of 23.68 and a beta of 1.01. 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 $301.26 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $320.28.

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, 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 analyst estimates of $709.62 million. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $2.16 EPS. The firm's revenue was down .1% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, research analysts predict that West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. will post 6.55 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

West Pharmaceutical Services Increases Dividend

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

Insider Transactions at West Pharmaceutical Services

In related news, VP Charles Witherspoon sold 1,029 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Monday, August 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $300.00, for a total value of $308,700.00. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now directly owns 1,478 shares in the company, valued at approximately $443,400. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. 0.53% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

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.