Verition Fund Management LLC grew its stake in West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST - Free Report) by 369.0% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 5,168 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock after purchasing an additional 4,066 shares during the period. Verition Fund Management LLC's holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services were worth $1,551,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.
Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Crewe Advisors LLC boosted its position in West Pharmaceutical Services by 322.7% in the second quarter. Crewe Advisors LLC now owns 93 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $31,000 after buying an additional 71 shares in the last quarter. Northwest Investment Counselors LLC bought a new position in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in the 3rd quarter valued at $30,000. Brooklyn Investment Group acquired a new stake in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services during the 3rd quarter valued at $41,000. Quest Partners LLC grew its position in West Pharmaceutical Services by 5,633.3% during the 2nd quarter. Quest Partners LLC now owns 172 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $57,000 after acquiring an additional 169 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Blue Trust Inc. increased its holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services by 332.1% in the 2nd quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 242 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $80,000 after purchasing an additional 186 shares in the last quarter. 93.90% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.
Insider Activity at West Pharmaceutical Services
In other West Pharmaceutical Services news, VP Charles Witherspoon sold 703 shares of the firm'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 completion of the transaction, the vice president now owns 1,253 shares in the company, valued at approximately $388,931.20. This trade represents a 35.94 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. 0.53% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.
West Pharmaceutical Services Trading Up 1.3 %
West Pharmaceutical Services stock traded up $4.29 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $322.49. The stock had a trading volume of 223,945 shares, compared to its average volume of 516,902. The stock has a market cap of $23.35 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 47.85, a P/E/G ratio of 24.36 and a beta of 1.01. The company has a quick ratio of 2.23, a current ratio of 3.00 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.07. The business's 50 day simple moving average is $310.17 and its 200-day simple moving average is $311.95. West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. has a one year low of $265.00 and a one year high of $413.70.
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 (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates 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 analyst estimates of $709.62 million. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $2.16 EPS. The firm's quarterly revenue was down .1% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts predict that West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. will post 6.64 EPS for the current fiscal year.
West Pharmaceutical Services Increases Dividend
The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, November 20th. Investors of record on Wednesday, November 13th were paid a $0.21 dividend. This is a boost 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 0.26%. West Pharmaceutical Services's payout ratio is currently 12.46%.
West Pharmaceutical Services Company Profile
(
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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