Hantz Financial Services Inc. Sells 2,739 Shares of West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST)

Hantz Financial Services Inc. lowered its stake in West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST) by 9.4% during the third quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 26,327 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after selling 2,739 shares during the period. Hantz Financial Services Inc.’s holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services were worth $7,902,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in WST. Public Sector Pension Investment Board raised its holdings in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 10.8% during the third quarter. Public Sector Pension Investment Board now owns 3,088 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $927,000 after acquiring an additional 300 shares during the period. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC increased its holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services by 21.8% during the 3rd quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 683,350 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $205,114,000 after purchasing an additional 122,361 shares in the last quarter. Fiduciary Trust Co raised its stake in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 15.9% in the 3rd quarter. Fiduciary Trust Co now owns 1,486 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $446,000 after purchasing an additional 204 shares during the period. FORA Capital LLC lifted its holdings in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 1,098.6% in the third quarter. FORA Capital LLC now owns 8,498 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $2,551,000 after purchasing an additional 7,789 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Glenmede Trust Co. NA boosted its position in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 2.0% during the third quarter. Glenmede Trust Co. NA now owns 4,092 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $1,228,000 after buying an additional 79 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 93.90% of the company’s stock.

Insider Transactions at West Pharmaceutical Services

In other West Pharmaceutical Services news, VP Charles Witherspoon sold 703 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, October 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $310.40, for a total transaction of $218,211.20. Following the transaction, the vice president now owns 1,253 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $388,931.20. The trade was a 35.94 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Company insiders own 0.53% of the company’s stock.

West Pharmaceutical Services Stock Up 0.7 %

Shares of West Pharmaceutical Services stock opened at $325.44 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $23.57 billion, a PE ratio of 48.28, a P/E/G ratio of 24.42 and a beta of 1.00. The business’s 50 day simple moving average is $308.46 and its 200 day simple moving average is $313.41. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.07, a quick ratio of 2.23 and a current ratio of 3.00. West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. has a 52-week low of $265.00 and a 52-week high of $413.70.

West Pharmaceutical Services (NYSE:WST) last posted 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 net margin of 17.37% and a return on equity of 18.41%. The company had revenue of $746.90 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $709.62 million. During the same period last year, the company earned $2.16 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was down .1% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, 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 firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, November 20th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, November 13th were given a dividend of $0.21 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, November 13th. 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%. West Pharmaceutical Services’s 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.