Fmr LLC Has $178.83 Million Holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST)

Fmr LLC increased its holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST) by 199.4% in the third quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 595,775 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after purchasing an additional 396,780 shares during the period. Fmr LLC’s holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services were worth $178,828,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. B. Riley Wealth Advisors Inc. acquired a new stake in West Pharmaceutical Services in the 1st quarter worth approximately $211,000. Cetera Investment Advisers boosted its holdings in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 525.1% during the 1st quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers now owns 18,990 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $7,515,000 after buying an additional 15,952 shares during the period. Cetera Advisors LLC grew its stake in West Pharmaceutical Services by 87.1% in the 1st quarter. Cetera Advisors LLC now owns 2,189 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $866,000 after buying an additional 1,019 shares during the last quarter. DNB Asset Management AS raised its holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services by 5.3% in the 2nd quarter. DNB Asset Management AS now owns 11,651 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $3,838,000 after acquiring an additional 590 shares during the period. Finally, Mather Group LLC. lifted its position in West Pharmaceutical Services by 12.0% during the 2nd quarter. Mather Group LLC. now owns 1,323 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $436,000 after acquiring an additional 142 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 93.90% of the company’s stock.

Insider Transactions at West Pharmaceutical Services

In other West Pharmaceutical Services news, VP Charles Witherspoon sold 703 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 in the company, valued at approximately $388,931.20. This trade represents a 35.94 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Insiders own 0.53% of the company’s stock.

West Pharmaceutical Services Trading Down 0.9 %

Shares of NYSE:WST opened at $322.78 on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.07, a quick ratio of 2.23 and a current ratio of 3.00. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $308.81 and its 200-day moving average is $312.62. The company has a market cap of $23.38 billion, a P/E ratio of 47.89, a P/E/G ratio of 24.71 and a beta of 1.01. West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. has a 52-week low of $265.00 and a 52-week high of $413.70.

West Pharmaceutical Services (NYSE:WST) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 24th. The medical instruments supplier reported $1.85 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate 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 company had revenue of $746.90 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $709.62 million. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $2.16 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was down .1% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts predict that West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. will post 6.64 earnings per share for the current year.

West Pharmaceutical Services Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, November 20th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, November 13th were given a $0.21 dividend. This represents a $0.84 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.26%. This is a positive change from West Pharmaceutical Services’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.20. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, November 13th. West Pharmaceutical Services’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 12.46%.

About West Pharmaceutical Services

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.