W.H. Cornerstone Investments Inc. Lowers Holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST)

W.H. Cornerstone Investments Inc. lowered its holdings in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST) by 35.8% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 788 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after selling 440 shares during the quarter. W.H. Cornerstone Investments Inc.’s holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services were worth $236,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Kayne Anderson Rudnick Investment Management LLC grew 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. ProShare Advisors LLC boosted its position in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 13.9% during the first quarter. ProShare Advisors LLC now owns 500,662 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $198,117,000 after acquiring an additional 61,247 shares during the last quarter. Sei Investments Co. grew its stake in West Pharmaceutical Services by 12.7% during the second quarter. Sei Investments Co. now owns 401,026 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $132,095,000 after acquiring an additional 45,208 shares in the last quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. increased its holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services by 9.8% in 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 acquiring an additional 26,947 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Dimensional Fund Advisors LP lifted its stake in West Pharmaceutical Services by 11.7% in the 2nd quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 288,639 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $95,075,000 after purchasing an additional 30,253 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 93.90% of the company’s stock.

West Pharmaceutical Services Stock Down 0.5 %

WST opened at $314.77 on Tuesday. The company has a market capitalization of $22.80 billion, a PE ratio of 46.70, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 23.85 and a beta of 1.00. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $301.68 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $318.93. The company has a quick ratio of 2.23, a current ratio of 3.00 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.07. 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 announced its quarterly 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 company had revenue of $746.90 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $709.62 million. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $2.16 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was down .1% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts forecast that West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. will post 6.69 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

West Pharmaceutical Services Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, November 20th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, November 13th will be paid a dividend of $0.21 per share. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, November 13th. This represents a $0.84 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.27%. 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 currently 11.87%.

Insider Activity at West Pharmaceutical Services

In other West Pharmaceutical Services news, VP Charles Witherspoon sold 1,029 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, August 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $300.00, for a total transaction of $308,700.00. Following the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 1,478 shares in the company, valued at $443,400. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. 0.53% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

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.