Swedbank AB increased its stake in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST - Free Report) by 44.6% during the third quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 7,195 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock after buying an additional 2,220 shares during the quarter. Swedbank AB's holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services were worth $2,160,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.
Other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Crewe Advisors LLC increased its holdings in shares of 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 purchasing an additional 71 shares during the period. Northwest Investment Counselors LLC purchased a new position in West Pharmaceutical Services during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $30,000. Quest Partners LLC lifted its stake 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 during the period. LRI Investments LLC purchased a new stake in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in the 1st quarter valued at $86,000. Finally, Blue Trust Inc. increased its stake 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 period. 93.90% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.
Insider Buying and Selling
In related news, VP Charles Witherspoon sold 703 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, October 29th. The stock was 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 of the company's stock, valued at approximately $388,931.20. This represents a 35.94 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 0.53% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.
West Pharmaceutical Services Stock Performance
NYSE WST traded up $3.97 on Thursday, reaching $323.32. 391,621 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 634,426. West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $265.00 and a fifty-two week high of $413.70. 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 firm has a market cap of $23.42 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 47.97, a P/E/G ratio of 24.12 and a beta of 1.00. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $307.93 and a 200-day moving average price of $313.27.
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 the consensus estimate 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 for the quarter was down .1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $2.16 EPS. Equities research analysts predict that West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. will post 6.67 EPS for the current fiscal year.
West Pharmaceutical Services Increases Dividend
The company also recently announced 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. This represents a $0.84 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.26%. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, November 13th. 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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