Haverford Trust Co Purchases 73 Shares of West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST)

Haverford Trust Co boosted its position in West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST) by 9.3% in the 3rd quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm owned 861 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after buying an additional 73 shares during the period. Haverford Trust Co’s holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services were worth $258,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Crewe Advisors LLC boosted its position in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 322.7% in the second quarter. Crewe Advisors LLC now owns 93 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $31,000 after acquiring an additional 71 shares during the period. Northwest Investment Counselors LLC acquired a new position in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $30,000. Quest Partners LLC increased its holdings in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 5,633.3% during the second quarter. Quest Partners LLC now owns 172 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $57,000 after purchasing an additional 169 shares during the period. LRI Investments LLC acquired a new stake in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in the first quarter valued at approximately $86,000. Finally, Blue Trust Inc. boosted its stake in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 332.1% in the second 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 period. 93.90% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, VP Charles Witherspoon sold 703 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, October 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $310.40, for a total value of $218,211.20. Following the sale, the vice president now directly owns 1,253 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $388,931.20. This trade represents a 35.94 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. 0.53% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

West Pharmaceutical Services Price Performance

West Pharmaceutical Services stock opened at $338.12 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $24.49 billion, a PE ratio of 50.17, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 26.01 and a beta of 1.00. 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 stock’s fifty day moving average price is $305.62 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $316.75. West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. has a one year low of $265.00 and a one year high of $413.70.

West Pharmaceutical Services (NYSE:WST) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 24th. The medical instruments supplier reported $1.85 EPS for the quarter, topping 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 for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $709.62 million. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $2.16 earnings per share. West Pharmaceutical Services’s revenue was down .1% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, research analysts expect 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. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, November 13th will be issued a dividend of $0.21 per share. This represents a $0.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.25%. The ex-dividend date 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%.

About West Pharmaceutical Services

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.