Sumitomo Mitsui DS Asset Management Company Ltd increased its stake in West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST – Get Rating) by 18.2% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 6,163 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after acquiring an additional 950 shares during the period. Sumitomo Mitsui DS Asset Management Company Ltd’s holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services were worth $1,450,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.
A number of other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the stock. AE Wealth Management LLC boosted its stake in West Pharmaceutical Services by 3.8% during the 3rd quarter. AE Wealth Management LLC now owns 1,162 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $286,000 after purchasing an additional 43 shares in the last quarter. Formidable Asset Management LLC boosted its stake in West Pharmaceutical Services by 2.4% during the third quarter. Formidable Asset Management LLC now owns 1,870 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $460,000 after buying an additional 44 shares in the last quarter. Wetherby Asset Management Inc. grew its holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services by 5.7% during the first quarter. Wetherby Asset Management Inc. now owns 822 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $338,000 after acquiring an additional 44 shares during the period. Lumature Wealth Partners LLC raised its position in West Pharmaceutical Services by 6.5% in the third quarter. Lumature Wealth Partners LLC now owns 783 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $193,000 after acquiring an additional 48 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Western Wealth Management LLC lifted its holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services by 1.7% in the 3rd quarter. Western Wealth Management LLC now owns 3,186 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $778,000 after acquiring an additional 54 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 91.51% of the company’s stock.
Insiders Place Their Bets
In other news, SVP Silji Abraham sold 1,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, March 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $322.57, for a total value of $483,855.00. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 4,209 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,357,697.13. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. In related news, CEO Eric Mark Green sold 44,000 shares of West Pharmaceutical Services stock in a transaction on Tuesday, March 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $322.35, for a total transaction of $14,183,400.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 85,705 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $27,627,006.75. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, SVP Silji Abraham sold 1,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, March 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $322.57, for a total value of $483,855.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 4,209 shares in the company, valued at $1,357,697.13. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 1.13% of the company’s stock.
Analysts Set New Price Targets
West Pharmaceutical Services Stock Performance
West Pharmaceutical Services stock opened at $344.72 on Friday. West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $206.19 and a fifty-two week high of $424.00. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $312.78 and its 200-day simple moving average is $266.11. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.08, a current ratio of 3.70 and a quick ratio of 2.90. The company has a market cap of $25.60 billion, a P/E ratio of 44.65, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.10 and a beta of 1.09.
West Pharmaceutical Services (NYSE:WST – Get Rating) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 16th. The medical instruments supplier reported $1.77 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.39 by $0.38. The firm had revenue of $708.70 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $657.16 million. West Pharmaceutical Services had a net margin of 20.30% and a return on equity of 26.24%. The company’s quarterly revenue was down 3.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $2.04 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts predict that West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. will post 7.38 EPS for the current year.
West Pharmaceutical Services Announces Dividend
The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, May 3rd. Investors of record on Wednesday, April 26th will be paid a $0.19 dividend. This represents a $0.76 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.22%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, April 25th. West Pharmaceutical Services’s dividend payout ratio is currently 9.84%.
West Pharmaceutical Services Profile
West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc manufactures and markets pharmaceuticals, biologics, vaccines and consumer healthcare products. It operates through the following business segments: Proprietary Products and Contract-Manufactured Products. The Proprietary Products segment offers proprietary packaging, containment and drug delivery products, along with analytical lab services, to biologic, generic and pharmaceutical drug customers.
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