Fisher Asset Management LLC Sells 34 Shares of West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST)

Fisher Asset Management LLC lessened its position in West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST) by 0.1% in the 3rd quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The fund owned 28,740 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after selling 34 shares during the period. Fisher Asset Management LLC’s holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services were worth $8,627,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Kayne Anderson Rudnick Investment Management LLC lifted 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. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. lifted its holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services by 1.5% during the 3rd quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 448,184 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $134,527,000 after buying an additional 6,756 shares in the last quarter. Champlain Investment Partners LLC lifted its holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services by 29.7% during the 3rd quarter. Champlain Investment Partners LLC now owns 444,000 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $133,271,000 after buying an additional 101,710 shares in the last quarter. Sei Investments Co. lifted its holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services by 12.7% during the 2nd quarter. Sei Investments Co. now owns 401,026 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $132,095,000 after buying an additional 45,208 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Envestnet Asset Management Inc. lifted its holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services by 9.8% during the 2nd quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. now owns 301,339 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $99,258,000 after buying an additional 26,947 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 93.90% of the company’s stock.

West Pharmaceutical Services Trading Up 1.2 %

Shares of WST opened at $323.32 on Friday. West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. has a 1-year low of $265.00 and a 1-year high of $413.70. The company has a 50-day moving average of $308.22 and a 200 day moving average of $313.34. The firm has a market capitalization of $23.42 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 47.97, a PEG ratio of 24.12 and a beta of 1.00. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.07, a current ratio of 3.00 and a quick ratio of 2.23.

West Pharmaceutical Services (NYSE:WST) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 24th. The medical instruments supplier reported $1.85 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.50 by $0.35. 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 17.37% and a return on equity of 18.41%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was down .1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $2.16 EPS. On average, research analysts expect that West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. will post 6.67 EPS for the current year.

West Pharmaceutical Services Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, November 20th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, November 13th were given a dividend of $0.21 per share. This is an increase from West Pharmaceutical Services’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.20. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, November 13th. This represents a $0.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.26%. West Pharmaceutical Services’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) 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 shares were sold at an average price of $310.40, for a total transaction of $218,211.20. Following the transaction, the vice president now owns 1,253 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $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 at this hyperlink. Insiders own 0.53% of the company’s stock.

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.