Stifel Financial Corp Trims Stock Position in West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST)

Stifel Financial Corp reduced its position in West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST - Free Report) by 4.5% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 41,223 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock after selling 1,925 shares during the quarter. Stifel Financial Corp owned 0.06% of West Pharmaceutical Services worth $12,374,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the business. FMR LLC boosted its stake in West Pharmaceutical Services by 199.4% in the 3rd quarter. FMR LLC now owns 595,775 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $178,828,000 after purchasing an additional 396,780 shares in the last quarter. LGT Group Foundation acquired a new stake in West Pharmaceutical Services during the 2nd quarter worth about $68,854,000. Liontrust Investment Partners LLP acquired a new stake in West Pharmaceutical Services during the second quarter worth about $64,196,000. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC increased its holdings in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 21.8% during the 3rd quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 683,350 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $205,114,000 after purchasing an additional 122,361 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Champlain Investment Partners LLC raised its position in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 29.7% in the third quarter. Champlain Investment Partners LLC now owns 444,000 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $133,271,000 after acquiring an additional 101,710 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 93.90% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Separately, UBS Group raised shares of West Pharmaceutical Services from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and lifted their price target for the company from $350.00 to $390.00 in a research note on Thursday.

Insider Activity

In related news, VP Charles Witherspoon sold 703 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, October 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $310.40, for a total transaction of $218,211.20. Following the sale, the vice president now directly owns 1,253 shares in the company, valued at approximately $388,931.20. This represents a 35.94 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Insiders own 0.53% of the company's stock.

West Pharmaceutical Services Trading Up 4.2 %

Shares of West Pharmaceutical Services stock traded up $13.40 on Thursday, reaching $331.62. The company had a trading volume of 436,436 shares, compared to its average volume of 563,076. The firm's 50 day moving average price is $312.06 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $311.85. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.07, a quick ratio of 2.23 and a current ratio of 3.00. West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. has a 52-week low of $265.00 and a 52-week high of $413.70. The firm has a market cap of $24.02 billion, a PE ratio of 49.20, a PEG ratio of 24.22 and a beta of 1.01.

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 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.50 by $0.35. The business had revenue of $746.90 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $709.62 million. West Pharmaceutical Services had a return on equity of 18.41% and a net margin of 17.37%. The company's revenue was down .1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $2.16 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts predict that West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. will post 6.64 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

West Pharmaceutical Services Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, November 20th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, November 13th were paid a $0.21 dividend. This is an increase from West Pharmaceutical Services's previous quarterly dividend of $0.20. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, November 13th. This represents a $0.84 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.25%. West Pharmaceutical Services's payout ratio is 12.46%.

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.