UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC increased its position in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST - Free Report) by 21.8% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 683,350 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock after purchasing an additional 122,361 shares during the period. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC owned 0.94% of West Pharmaceutical Services worth $205,114,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.
A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Northwest Investment Counselors LLC acquired a new position in West Pharmaceutical Services in the third quarter valued at $30,000. Crewe Advisors LLC boosted its stake in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 322.7% during the second quarter. Crewe Advisors LLC now owns 93 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $31,000 after buying an additional 71 shares during the period. Brooklyn Investment Group acquired a new stake in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services during the third quarter worth about $41,000. Quest Partners LLC boosted its stake in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 5,633.3% during the second quarter. Quest Partners LLC now owns 172 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $57,000 after buying an additional 169 shares during the period. Finally, Blue Trust Inc. boosted its stake in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 332.1% during the second quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 242 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $80,000 after buying an additional 186 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 93.90% of the company's stock.
Insider Buying and Selling
In other West Pharmaceutical Services news, VP Charles Witherspoon sold 703 shares of the 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 completion of the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 1,253 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $388,931.20. This trade represents a 35.94 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. 0.53% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.
West Pharmaceutical Services Stock Performance
Shares of WST traded up $2.36 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $325.68. 305,786 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 572,081. West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $265.00 and a fifty-two week high of $413.70. The firm has a market capitalization of $23.59 billion, a P/E ratio of 48.32, a P/E/G ratio of 24.60 and a beta of 1.00. The business's 50 day moving average is $308.81 and its two-hundred day moving average is $312.89. The company has a current ratio of 3.00, a quick ratio of 2.23 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.07.
West Pharmaceutical Services (NYSE:WST - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, October 24th. The medical instruments supplier reported $1.85 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.50 by $0.35. West Pharmaceutical Services had a net margin of 17.37% and a return on equity of 18.41%. The business had revenue of $746.90 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $709.62 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $2.16 earnings per share. The business's quarterly revenue was down .1% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities analysts expect that West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. will post 6.64 earnings per share for the current year.
West Pharmaceutical Services Increases Dividend
The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, November 20th. Investors of record on Wednesday, November 13th were issued a dividend of $0.21 per share. This is a boost from West Pharmaceutical Services's previous quarterly dividend of $0.20. This represents a $0.84 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.26%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, November 13th. West Pharmaceutical Services's dividend payout ratio is currently 12.46%.
About West Pharmaceutical Services
(
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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