Advisors Asset Management Inc. Raises Position in West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST)

Advisors Asset Management Inc. increased its holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST) by 12.9% during the first quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 5,639 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after buying an additional 645 shares during the period. Advisors Asset Management Inc.’s holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services were worth $2,231,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Fidelis Capital Partners LLC purchased a new stake in West Pharmaceutical Services in the first quarter worth $27,000. Quarry LP lifted its stake in West Pharmaceutical Services by 155.3% in the fourth quarter. Quarry LP now owns 97 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $34,000 after acquiring an additional 59 shares during the period. Hazlett Burt & Watson Inc. purchased a new stake in West Pharmaceutical Services in the first quarter worth $40,000. Northwest Investment Counselors LLC purchased a new stake in West Pharmaceutical Services in the first quarter worth $40,000. Finally, ORG Partners LLC lifted its stake in West Pharmaceutical Services by 820.0% in the first quarter. ORG Partners LLC now owns 138 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $55,000 after acquiring an additional 123 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 93.90% of the company’s stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, SVP Silji Abraham sold 1,800 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, June 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $330.78, for a total transaction of $595,404.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 2,860 shares in the company, valued at $946,030.80. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. In related news, CEO Eric Mark Green sold 66,000 shares of West Pharmaceutical Services stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $366.65, for a total value of $24,198,900.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 152,908 shares in the company, valued at approximately $56,063,718.20. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, SVP Silji Abraham sold 1,800 shares of West Pharmaceutical Services stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, June 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $330.78, for a total value of $595,404.00. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president now owns 2,860 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $946,030.80. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.53% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

West Pharmaceutical Services Price Performance

WST opened at $284.76 on Friday. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $324.09 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $355.79. The company has a current ratio of 2.61, a quick ratio of 1.95 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.03. The company has a market cap of $20.74 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 37.57, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 6.03 and a beta of 1.00. West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. has a 12-month low of $265.00 and a 12-month high of $415.73.

West Pharmaceutical Services (NYSE:WST) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 25th. The medical instruments supplier reported $1.52 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.74 by ($0.22). The firm had revenue of $702.10 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $729.36 million. West Pharmaceutical Services had a return on equity of 18.78% and a net margin of 18.25%. West Pharmaceutical Services’s revenue for the quarter was down 6.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $2.11 EPS. Research analysts predict that West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. will post 6.4 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

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.