West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST) Shares Purchased by Huntington National Bank

Huntington National Bank boosted its holdings in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST) by 5.5% in the 3rd quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The fund owned 2,795 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after buying an additional 145 shares during the quarter. Huntington National Bank’s holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services were worth $839,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Northwest Investment Counselors LLC acquired a new position in West Pharmaceutical Services in the third quarter valued at about $30,000. Crewe Advisors LLC boosted its position in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 322.7% during the 2nd quarter. Crewe Advisors LLC now owns 93 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $31,000 after purchasing an additional 71 shares during the period. Quest Partners LLC increased its holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services by 5,633.3% in the 2nd 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. Blue Trust Inc. raised its position in 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 purchasing an additional 186 shares during the period. Finally, Eastern Bank acquired a new position in West Pharmaceutical Services during the third quarter worth $82,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 93.90% of the company’s stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other West Pharmaceutical Services news, VP Charles Witherspoon sold 703 shares of West Pharmaceutical Services stock in a transaction 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 transaction, the vice president now directly owns 1,253 shares in the company, valued at approximately $388,931.20. The trade was a 35.94 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 0.53% of the company’s stock.

West Pharmaceutical Services Stock Down 7.0 %

Shares of NYSE:WST opened at $314.48 on Friday. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $305.97 and its two-hundred day moving average is $316.47. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.07, a current ratio of 3.00 and a quick ratio of 2.23. West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. has a 1 year low of $265.00 and a 1 year high of $413.70. The firm has a market capitalization of $22.77 billion, a PE ratio of 46.66, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 25.57 and a beta of 1.00.

West Pharmaceutical Services (NYSE:WST) last announced its quarterly earnings data 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 business had revenue of $746.90 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $709.62 million. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $2.16 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was down .1% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts predict that West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. will post 6.66 EPS for the current year.

West Pharmaceutical Services Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, November 20th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, November 13th will be paid a $0.21 dividend. This represents a $0.84 annualized dividend and a 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 currently 12.46%.

West Pharmaceutical Services 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.