West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST) Shares Sold by Private Advisor Group LLC

Private Advisor Group LLC cut its stake in West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST) by 9.4% in the third quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The fund owned 1,659 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after selling 172 shares during the period. Private Advisor Group LLC’s holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services were worth $498,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of WST. Eastern Bank purchased a new stake in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services during the third quarter worth approximately $82,000. Whittier Trust Co. of Nevada Inc. lifted its stake in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 3.7% in the 3rd quarter. Whittier Trust Co. of Nevada Inc. now owns 21,331 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $6,402,000 after purchasing an additional 761 shares during the last quarter. Whittier Trust Co. lifted its stake in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 4.4% in the 3rd quarter. Whittier Trust Co. now owns 41,804 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $12,547,000 after purchasing an additional 1,779 shares during the last quarter. Northwest Investment Counselors LLC acquired a new position in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in the 3rd quarter valued at $30,000. Finally, Vest Financial LLC lifted its stake in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 31.0% in the 3rd quarter. Vest Financial LLC now owns 151,217 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $45,389,000 after purchasing an additional 35,771 shares during the last quarter. 93.90% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Transactions at West Pharmaceutical Services

In other West Pharmaceutical Services news, VP Charles Witherspoon sold 1,029 shares of West Pharmaceutical Services stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, August 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $300.00, for a total transaction of $308,700.00. Following the transaction, the vice president now owns 1,478 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $443,400. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 0.53% of the company’s stock.

West Pharmaceutical Services Price Performance

WST opened at $314.77 on Tuesday. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $301.68 and its 200 day moving average price is $318.93. West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. has a 12-month low of $265.00 and a 12-month high of $413.70. The company has a current ratio of 3.00, a quick ratio of 2.23 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.07. 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 issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 24th. The medical instruments supplier reported $1.85 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.50 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 quarter in the prior year, the business earned $2.16 EPS. West Pharmaceutical Services’s revenue was down .1% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. will post 6.69 earnings per share for the current year.

West Pharmaceutical Services Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced 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 positive change from West Pharmaceutical Services’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.20. West Pharmaceutical Services’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 12.46%.

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.