West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST) is Dudley & Shanley Inc.'s 9th Largest Position

Dudley & Shanley Inc. decreased its holdings in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST - Free Report) by 3.0% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 78,661 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock after selling 2,470 shares during the period. West Pharmaceutical Services makes up approximately 4.0% of Dudley & Shanley Inc.'s holdings, making the stock its 9th largest position. Dudley & Shanley Inc. owned approximately 0.11% of West Pharmaceutical Services worth $25,766,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in WST. Northwest Investment Counselors LLC acquired a new stake in West Pharmaceutical Services during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $30,000. Brooklyn Investment Group acquired a new stake in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services during the third quarter worth $41,000. Quest Partners LLC grew its position in West Pharmaceutical Services by 5,633.3% in the 2nd quarter. Quest Partners LLC now owns 172 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock valued at $57,000 after buying an additional 169 shares during the last quarter. Eastern Bank acquired a new position in West Pharmaceutical Services in the 3rd quarter valued at $82,000. Finally, Meeder Asset Management Inc. raised its position in West Pharmaceutical Services by 1,263.6% during the 2nd quarter. Meeder Asset Management Inc. now owns 300 shares of the medical instruments supplier's stock worth $99,000 after buying an additional 278 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 93.90% of the company's stock.

West Pharmaceutical Services Price Performance

Shares of NYSE WST traded up $7.17 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $335.56. The company had a trading volume of 389,309 shares, compared to its average volume of 416,454. The firm has a market capitalization of $24.30 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 49.79, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 25.04 and a beta of 1.01. West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. has a twelve month low of $265.00 and a twelve month high of $413.70. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $323.81 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $312.26. The company has a quick ratio of 2.23, a current ratio of 3.00 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.07.

West Pharmaceutical Services (NYSE:WST - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results 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. The company had revenue of $746.90 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $709.62 million. West Pharmaceutical Services had a net margin of 17.37% and a return on equity of 18.41%. The company's revenue for the quarter was down .1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm earned $2.16 EPS. Equities research analysts anticipate that West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. will post 6.64 earnings per share for the current year.

West Pharmaceutical Services Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, November 20th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, November 13th were issued a $0.21 dividend. This is a positive change 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 yield of 0.25%. West Pharmaceutical Services's dividend payout ratio is 12.46%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts have recently weighed in on WST shares. Bank of America lifted their target price on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services from $350.00 to $355.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, December 13th. UBS Group raised West Pharmaceutical Services from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and lifted their price objective for the company from $350.00 to $390.00 in a report on Thursday, December 12th. Finally, Wolfe Research assumed coverage on West Pharmaceutical Services in a research report on Friday, December 13th. They set a "peer perform" rating on the stock. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $437.75.

Insider Activity

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 transaction, the vice president now directly owns 1,253 shares of the company's stock, valued at $388,931.20. This trade represents a 35.94 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed 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.