Private Advisor Group LLC Trims Stock Position in West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST)

Private Advisor Group LLC lowered its holdings in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST) by 9.4% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 1,659 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after selling 172 shares during the quarter. Private Advisor Group LLC’s holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services were worth $498,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Kayne Anderson Rudnick Investment Management LLC grew its holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services by 6.8% during the 2nd quarter. Kayne Anderson Rudnick Investment Management LLC now owns 593,692 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $195,556,000 after buying an additional 37,702 shares in the last quarter. ProShare Advisors LLC lifted its position in West Pharmaceutical Services by 13.9% in the first quarter. ProShare Advisors LLC now owns 500,662 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $198,117,000 after buying an additional 61,247 shares during the last quarter. Sei Investments Co. lifted its position in West Pharmaceutical Services by 12.7% in the second quarter. Sei Investments Co. now owns 401,026 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $132,095,000 after buying an additional 45,208 shares during the last quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. lifted its position in West Pharmaceutical Services by 9.8% in the second quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. now owns 301,339 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $99,258,000 after buying an additional 26,947 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Dimensional Fund Advisors LP increased its stake in West Pharmaceutical Services by 11.7% in the second quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 288,639 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $95,075,000 after purchasing an additional 30,253 shares during the period. 93.90% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

West Pharmaceutical Services Stock Performance

WST stock opened at $314.77 on Tuesday. The company has a quick ratio of 2.23, a current ratio of 3.00 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.07. The business’s fifty day simple moving average is $301.68 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $318.93. 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 cap of $22.80 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 46.70, a PEG ratio of 23.20 and a beta of 1.00.

West Pharmaceutical Services (NYSE:WST) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 24th. The medical instruments supplier reported $1.85 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate 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%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was down .1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $2.16 earnings per share. Analysts predict that West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. will post 6.69 earnings per share for the current year.

West Pharmaceutical Services Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, November 20th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, November 13th will be paid a $0.21 dividend. This represents a $0.84 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.27%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, November 13th. This is a positive change from West Pharmaceutical Services’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.20. West Pharmaceutical Services’s payout ratio is 12.46%.

Insider Buying and Selling at West Pharmaceutical Services

In other West Pharmaceutical Services news, VP Charles Witherspoon sold 703 shares of the firm’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 sale, the vice president now owns 1,253 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $388,931.20. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 0.53% of the stock is owned by insiders.

West Pharmaceutical Services Company 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.