Groupama Asset Managment grew its position in West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST - Free Report) by 342.1% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 2,308 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock after acquiring an additional 1,786 shares during the quarter. Groupama Asset Managment's holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services were worth $693,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.
A number of other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of WST. Northwest Investment Counselors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services during the third quarter worth approximately $30,000. Crewe Advisors LLC raised its position in 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 buying an additional 71 shares during the last quarter. Brooklyn Investment Group purchased a new stake in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in the third quarter valued at about $41,000. Quest Partners LLC boosted its holdings in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 5,633.3% in the second 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. increased 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 acquiring an additional 186 shares during the period. 93.90% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.
Insider Transactions at West Pharmaceutical Services
In related news, VP Charles Witherspoon sold 703 shares of West Pharmaceutical Services stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, October 29th. The stock was 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 directly owns 1,253 shares in the company, valued at $388,931.20. The trade was a 35.94 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 0.53% of the company's stock.
West Pharmaceutical Services Stock Performance
NYSE:WST traded down $2.89 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, reaching $319.27. The stock had a trading volume of 302,112 shares, compared to its average volume of 564,292. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.07, a quick ratio of 2.23 and a current ratio of 3.00. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $311.01 and a 200 day simple moving average of $311.66. West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. has a twelve month low of $265.00 and a twelve month high of $413.70. The firm has a market capitalization of $23.12 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 47.37, a PEG ratio of 24.47 and a beta of 1.01.
West Pharmaceutical Services (NYSE:WST - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 24th. The medical instruments supplier reported $1.85 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.50 by $0.35. The firm had revenue of $746.90 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $709.62 million. West Pharmaceutical Services had a return on equity of 18.41% and a net margin of 17.37%. West Pharmaceutical Services's quarterly revenue was down .1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $2.16 earnings per share. On average, analysts expect that West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. will post 6.64 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.
West Pharmaceutical Services Increases Dividend
The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, November 20th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, November 13th were given a dividend of $0.21 per share. This represents a $0.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.26%. This is an increase from West Pharmaceutical Services's previous quarterly dividend of $0.20. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, November 13th. West Pharmaceutical Services's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 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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