West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST) Position Cut by Hancock Whitney Corp

Hancock Whitney Corp reduced its position in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST - Free Report) by 93.7% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 1,603 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock after selling 23,805 shares during the period. Hancock Whitney Corp's holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services were worth $481,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in WST. Silvercrest Asset Management Group LLC boosted its position in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 13.4% during the 1st quarter. Silvercrest Asset Management Group LLC now owns 11,603 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $4,591,000 after purchasing an additional 1,375 shares during the period. Kennedy Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in the 1st quarter valued at $1,511,000. B. Riley Wealth Advisors Inc. purchased a new position in West Pharmaceutical Services during the 1st quarter worth $211,000. California State Teachers Retirement System grew its position in West Pharmaceutical Services by 0.5% during the 1st quarter. California State Teachers Retirement System now owns 116,690 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $46,175,000 after purchasing an additional 591 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Tidal Investments LLC raised its stake in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 54.7% during the first quarter. Tidal Investments LLC now owns 10,574 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $4,181,000 after purchasing an additional 3,738 shares during the last quarter. 93.90% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

West Pharmaceutical Services Stock Performance

Shares of West Pharmaceutical Services stock traded up $3.97 during trading hours on Wednesday, hitting $323.32. 391,621 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 572,557. The business has a 50-day moving average of $307.93 and a 200-day moving average of $313.27. The stock has a market capitalization of $23.41 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 47.72, a P/E/G ratio of 24.15 and a beta of 1.00. 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, Inc. has a 1 year low of $265.00 and a 1 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, topping the consensus estimate of $1.50 by $0.35. The firm had revenue of $746.90 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate 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 quarterly revenue was down .1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $2.16 EPS. As a group, analysts expect that West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. will post 6.67 EPS for the current fiscal year.

West Pharmaceutical Services Increases Dividend

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

Insider Buying and Selling

In other 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 sale, the vice president now 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 transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Corporate 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.