West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST) Shares Acquired by Cynosure Group LLC

Cynosure Group LLC lifted its position in West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST - Free Report) by 591.1% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 8,335 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock after purchasing an additional 7,129 shares during the quarter. Cynosure Group LLC's holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services were worth $2,502,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in WST. Northwest Investment Counselors LLC acquired a new position in West Pharmaceutical Services in the 3rd quarter valued at about $30,000. Crewe Advisors LLC boosted its stake in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 322.7% during the 2nd quarter. Crewe Advisors LLC now owns 93 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $31,000 after acquiring an additional 71 shares in the last quarter. Brooklyn Investment Group acquired a new stake in West Pharmaceutical Services in the third quarter valued at $41,000. Quest Partners LLC increased its holdings 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 valued at $57,000 after acquiring an additional 169 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Blue Trust Inc. raised its holdings in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 332.1% in the second quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 242 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $80,000 after acquiring an additional 186 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 93.90% of the company's stock.

West Pharmaceutical Services Trading Down 0.1 %

Shares of WST opened at $319.35 on Wednesday. The company has a market capitalization of $23.13 billion, a PE ratio of 47.38, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 24.15 and a beta of 1.00. 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 fifty-two week low of $265.00 and a fifty-two week high of $413.70. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $307.46 and a two-hundred day moving average of $313.59.

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 EPS for the quarter, topping 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 company had revenue of $746.90 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $709.62 million. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $2.16 earnings per share. The firm's revenue was down .1% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, analysts forecast that West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. will post 6.67 EPS for the current year.

West Pharmaceutical Services Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, November 20th. Investors of record on Wednesday, November 13th were paid a $0.21 dividend. This represents a $0.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.26%. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, November 13th. This is a positive change from West Pharmaceutical Services's previous quarterly dividend of $0.20. West Pharmaceutical Services's payout ratio is 12.46%.

Insider Activity

In related 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 owns 1,253 shares in the company, valued at $388,931.20. This represents a 35.94 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Company insiders own 0.53% of the company's stock.

West Pharmaceutical Services 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.

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