Signaturefd LLC Reduces Stock Holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST)

Signaturefd LLC lowered its position in West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST) by 4.9% in the third quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 892 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after selling 46 shares during the period. Signaturefd LLC’s holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services were worth $268,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of WST. LGT Group Foundation purchased a new position in West Pharmaceutical Services during the second quarter worth about $68,854,000. Liontrust Investment Partners LLP purchased a new position in West Pharmaceutical Services during the second quarter worth about $64,196,000. Findlay Park Partners LLP boosted its stake in West Pharmaceutical Services by 30.6% during the first quarter. Findlay Park Partners LLP now owns 597,106 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $236,281,000 after buying an additional 139,800 shares during the period. Iron Triangle Partners LP purchased a new position in West Pharmaceutical Services during the first quarter worth about $47,381,000. Finally, ProShare Advisors LLC boosted its stake in West Pharmaceutical Services by 13.9% during 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 period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 93.90% of the company’s stock.

Insider Transactions at West Pharmaceutical Services

In other news, VP Charles Witherspoon sold 1,029 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, August 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $300.00, for a total transaction of $308,700.00. Following the sale, the vice president now owns 1,478 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $443,400. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 0.53% of the company’s stock.

West Pharmaceutical Services Trading Down 6.9 %

Shares of WST stock opened at $307.92 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.03, a current ratio of 2.34 and a quick ratio of 1.68. The firm has a market cap of $22.43 billion, a PE ratio of 40.62, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 10.21 and a beta of 1.01. The company has a 50-day moving average of $300.51 and a two-hundred day moving average of $321.78. 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) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, October 24th. The medical instruments supplier reported $1.85 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.51 by $0.34. The company had revenue of $746.90 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $709.62 million. West Pharmaceutical Services had a net margin of 18.25% and a return on equity of 19.17%. West Pharmaceutical Services’s revenue was down .1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $2.16 earnings per share. On average, analysts predict that West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. will post 6.42 EPS for the current year.

West Pharmaceutical Services Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, November 20th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, November 13th will be given a dividend of $0.21 per share. This represents a $0.84 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.27%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, November 13th. This is a boost from West Pharmaceutical Services’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.20. West Pharmaceutical Services’s dividend payout ratio is currently 11.08%.

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.