Eagle Asset Management Inc. Trims Stake in West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST)

Eagle Asset Management Inc. cut its stake in West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST) by 53.1% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 153,532 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after selling 173,941 shares during the period. Eagle Asset Management Inc.’s holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services were worth $49,760,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors have also bought and sold shares of WST. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. grew its position in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 1.5% in the 3rd quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 448,184 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $134,527,000 after buying an additional 6,756 shares during the period. Darwin Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in the 3rd quarter worth about $104,000. Hilton Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in the 3rd quarter worth about $1,220,000. Commerce Bank grew its position in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 6.1% in the 3rd quarter. Commerce Bank now owns 10,902 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $3,272,000 after buying an additional 622 shares during the period. Finally, PNC Financial Services Group Inc. grew its position in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 5.6% in the 3rd quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 17,975 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $5,395,000 after buying an additional 955 shares during the period. 93.90% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling at West Pharmaceutical Services

In other West Pharmaceutical Services news, VP Charles Witherspoon sold 703 shares of the company’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 owns 1,253 shares in the company, valued at approximately $388,931.20. This represents a 35.94 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 0.53% of the company’s stock.

West Pharmaceutical Services Stock Down 1.3 %

NYSE:WST opened at $316.59 on Friday. West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. has a 1-year low of $265.00 and a 1-year high of $413.70. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $307.01 and its 200-day moving average price is $314.66. The company has a market capitalization of $22.93 billion, a PE ratio of 46.97, a P/E/G ratio of 24.24 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.

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, beating the consensus estimate 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 in the prior year, the firm posted $2.16 EPS. West Pharmaceutical Services’s revenue for the quarter was down .1% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts predict that West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. will post 6.67 EPS for the current fiscal year.

West Pharmaceutical Services Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, November 20th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, November 13th were paid a dividend of $0.21 per share. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, November 13th. This represents a $0.84 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.27%. This is a boost 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.