West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST) Stock Position Lifted by Metis Global Partners LLC

Metis Global Partners LLC lifted its position in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST) by 8.7% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 6,219 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after acquiring an additional 500 shares during the period. Metis Global Partners LLC’s holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services were worth $1,867,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Brooktree Capital Management boosted its position in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 3.1% during the third quarter. Brooktree Capital Management now owns 4,604 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $1,382,000 after buying an additional 139 shares during the period. Curi RMB Capital LLC lifted its stake in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 3.7% in the 3rd quarter. Curi RMB Capital LLC now owns 72,650 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $21,807,000 after acquiring an additional 2,614 shares during the period. Huntington National Bank boosted its holdings in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 5.5% in the third quarter. Huntington National Bank now owns 2,795 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $839,000 after acquiring an additional 145 shares in the last quarter. Bell Bank increased its stake in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 4.7% during the third quarter. Bell Bank now owns 3,955 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $1,187,000 after acquiring an additional 176 shares during the period. Finally, Haverford Trust Co increased its stake in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 9.3% during the third quarter. Haverford Trust Co now owns 861 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $258,000 after acquiring an additional 73 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 93.90% of the company’s stock.

West Pharmaceutical Services Price Performance

NYSE WST opened at $314.48 on Friday. West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. has a 12 month low of $265.00 and a 12 month high of $413.70. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.07, a current ratio of 3.00 and a quick ratio of 2.23. The firm has a market capitalization of $22.77 billion, a PE ratio of 46.66, a P/E/G ratio of 25.57 and a beta of 1.00. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $305.97 and its 200 day simple moving average is $316.47.

West Pharmaceutical Services (NYSE:WST) last released its earnings results on Thursday, October 24th. The medical instruments supplier reported $1.85 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.50 by $0.35. The business 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 business’s quarterly revenue was down .1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $2.16 earnings per share. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. will post 6.66 EPS 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. Investors of record on Wednesday, November 13th will be given a $0.21 dividend. 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 an increase from West Pharmaceutical Services’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.20. West Pharmaceutical Services’s dividend payout ratio is 12.46%.

Insider Activity at West Pharmaceutical Services

In related news, VP Charles Witherspoon sold 703 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, October 29th. The shares were 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 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. 0.53% of the stock is owned by 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.