West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST) Shares Bought by Principal Financial Group Inc.

Principal Financial Group Inc. raised its position in West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST - Free Report) by 2.3% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 91,756 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock after purchasing an additional 2,037 shares during the quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. owned about 0.13% of West Pharmaceutical Services worth $27,541,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Kayne Anderson Rudnick Investment Management LLC boosted its stake in West Pharmaceutical Services by 6.8% during the second quarter. Kayne Anderson Rudnick Investment Management LLC now owns 593,692 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $195,556,000 after buying an additional 37,702 shares during the period. Sei Investments Co. boosted its position in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 12.7% during the 2nd quarter. Sei Investments Co. now owns 401,026 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $132,095,000 after purchasing an additional 45,208 shares during the period. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. increased its holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services by 9.8% in the 2nd quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. now owns 301,339 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $99,258,000 after purchasing an additional 26,947 shares during the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP lifted its stake in West Pharmaceutical Services by 11.7% during the second quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 288,639 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $95,075,000 after purchasing an additional 30,253 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Epoch Investment Partners Inc. lifted its stake in West Pharmaceutical Services by 3.5% during the second quarter. Epoch Investment Partners Inc. now owns 269,675 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $88,828,000 after purchasing an additional 9,156 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 93.90% of the company's stock.

West Pharmaceutical Services Trading Up 4.8 %

Shares of WST stock traded up $15.86 on Wednesday, hitting $343.54. The stock had a trading volume of 652,431 shares, compared to its average volume of 570,458. The company's 50 day moving average price is $304.08 and its 200-day moving average price is $316.41. West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. has a 1 year low of $265.00 and a 1 year high of $413.70. The firm has a market capitalization of $24.88 billion, a P/E ratio of 50.94, a P/E/G ratio of 24.78 and a beta of 1.00. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.07, a current ratio of 3.00 and a quick ratio of 2.23.

West Pharmaceutical Services (NYSE:WST - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data 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. The business had revenue of $746.90 million during 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 business's revenue for the quarter was down .1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $2.16 earnings per share. Analysts anticipate that West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. will post 6.66 earnings per share for the current year.

West Pharmaceutical Services Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, November 20th. Investors of record on Wednesday, November 13th will be paid a dividend of $0.21 per share. This represents a $0.84 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.24%. This is a boost from West Pharmaceutical Services's previous quarterly dividend of $0.20. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, November 13th. West Pharmaceutical Services's payout ratio is presently 11.87%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, VP Charles Witherspoon sold 703 shares of West Pharmaceutical Services stock in a transaction that occurred 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 transaction, the vice president now owns 1,253 shares in the company, valued at $388,931.20. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. 0.53% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

West Pharmaceutical Services Company Profile

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.