Banque Cantonale Vaudoise Reduces Stock Position in West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST)

Banque Cantonale Vaudoise trimmed its holdings in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST) by 65.2% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 2,707 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after selling 5,066 shares during the quarter. Banque Cantonale Vaudoise’s holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services were worth $813,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in WST. O Shaughnessy Asset Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 11.3% in the 1st quarter. O Shaughnessy Asset Management LLC now owns 2,698 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $1,068,000 after purchasing an additional 273 shares during the last quarter. Clearbridge Investments LLC boosted its stake in West Pharmaceutical Services by 0.7% during the first quarter. Clearbridge Investments LLC now owns 4,495 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $1,779,000 after buying an additional 31 shares during the period. Pitcairn Co. increased its position in West Pharmaceutical Services by 3.4% during the first quarter. Pitcairn Co. now owns 875 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $346,000 after acquiring an additional 29 shares during the last quarter. Advisors Asset Management Inc. raised its stake in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 12.9% in the first quarter. Advisors Asset Management Inc. now owns 5,639 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $2,231,000 after acquiring an additional 645 shares during the period. Finally, Toronto Dominion Bank lifted its holdings in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 2.1% in the 1st quarter. Toronto Dominion Bank now owns 42,275 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $16,729,000 after acquiring an additional 862 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 93.90% of the company’s stock.

West Pharmaceutical Services Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:WST opened at $320.28 on Friday. 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 12 month low of $265.00 and a 12 month high of $413.70. The company has a market capitalization of $23.19 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 47.52, a PEG ratio of 22.97 and a beta of 1.00. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $306.69 and its 200 day moving average is $315.00.

West Pharmaceutical Services (NYSE:WST) last released its earnings results on Thursday, October 24th. The medical instruments supplier reported $1.85 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.50 by $0.35. West Pharmaceutical Services had a return on equity of 18.41% and a net margin of 17.37%. The firm had revenue of $746.90 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $709.62 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $2.16 earnings per share. The company’s quarterly revenue was down .1% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts predict that West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. will post 6.67 EPS for the current year.

West Pharmaceutical Services Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, November 20th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, November 13th were issued a $0.21 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, November 13th. This is a boost from West Pharmaceutical Services’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.20. This represents a $0.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.26%. West Pharmaceutical Services’s dividend payout ratio is presently 12.46%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other West Pharmaceutical Services news, VP Charles Witherspoon sold 703 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, October 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $310.40, for a total transaction of $218,211.20. Following the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 1,253 shares in the company, valued at $388,931.20. This trade represents a 35.94 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. 0.53% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

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.