Axa S.A. Acquires 1,964 Shares of West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST)

Axa S.A. boosted its holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST) by 12.3% in the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 17,949 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after purchasing an additional 1,964 shares during the quarter. Axa S.A.’s holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services were worth $5,912,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in WST. Fidelis Capital Partners LLC bought a new position in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services during the first quarter worth $27,000. Crewe Advisors LLC boosted its holdings 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 valued at $31,000 after purchasing an additional 71 shares during the last quarter. Quarry LP increased its holdings in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 155.3% in the fourth quarter. Quarry LP now owns 97 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $34,000 after purchasing an additional 59 shares during the last quarter. Hazlett Burt & Watson Inc. bought a new stake in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in the first quarter worth about $40,000. Finally, Northwest Investment Counselors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in the first quarter worth about $40,000. 93.90% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

West Pharmaceutical Services Stock Performance

NYSE:WST opened at $311.00 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $22.56 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 41.03, a PEG ratio of 11.04 and a beta of 1.01. West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. has a 1 year low of $265.00 and a 1 year high of $413.70. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $301.92 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $335.41. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.03, a current ratio of 2.34 and a quick ratio of 1.68.

West Pharmaceutical Services (NYSE:WST) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 25th. The medical instruments supplier reported $1.52 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.74 by ($0.22). West Pharmaceutical Services had a return on equity of 19.17% and a net margin of 18.25%. The business had revenue of $702.10 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $729.36 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $2.11 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was down 6.9% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. will post 6.42 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity

In related news, VP Charles Witherspoon sold 1,029 shares of West Pharmaceutical Services stock in a transaction dated Monday, August 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $300.00, for a total value of $308,700.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now owns 1,478 shares in the company, valued at $443,400. The transaction 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 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.