Cynosure Group LLC Has $2.50 Million Holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST)

Cynosure Group LLC increased its holdings in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST) by 591.1% in the third quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor owned 8,335 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after purchasing an additional 7,129 shares during the quarter. Cynosure Group LLC’s holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services were worth $2,502,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Northwest Investment Counselors LLC acquired a new stake in West Pharmaceutical Services in the third quarter worth $30,000. Crewe Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 322.7% during the second quarter. Crewe Advisors LLC now owns 93 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $31,000 after acquiring an additional 71 shares in the last quarter. Brooklyn Investment Group bought a new position in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services during the third quarter worth about $41,000. Quest Partners LLC raised its holdings in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 5,633.3% in the second quarter. Quest Partners LLC now owns 172 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $57,000 after purchasing an additional 169 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Blue Trust Inc. increased its stake in West Pharmaceutical Services by 332.1% in the 2nd quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 242 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $80,000 after buying an additional 186 shares during the last quarter. 93.90% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

West Pharmaceutical Services Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE WST opened at $319.35 on Wednesday. West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. has a 52 week low of $265.00 and a 52 week high of $413.70. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.07, a quick ratio of 2.23 and a current ratio of 3.00. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $307.46 and a 200 day moving average price of $313.59. The stock has a market capitalization of $23.13 billion, a PE ratio of 47.38, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 24.15 and a beta of 1.00.

West Pharmaceutical Services (NYSE:WST) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 24th. The medical instruments supplier reported $1.85 earnings per share (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 analysts’ expectations of $709.62 million. During the same period last year, the firm posted $2.16 earnings per share. The business’s revenue was down .1% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts predict that West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. will post 6.67 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

West Pharmaceutical Services Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, November 20th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, November 13th were issued a $0.21 dividend. This is a boost from West Pharmaceutical Services’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.20. This represents a $0.84 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.26%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, November 13th. West Pharmaceutical Services’s dividend payout ratio is currently 12.46%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related 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 directly owns 1,253 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $388,931.20. This trade represents a 35.94 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Company 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.