Bank of Montreal Can Buys 16,480 Shares of West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST)

Bank of Montreal Can increased its stake in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST) by 10.4% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 174,725 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after buying an additional 16,480 shares during the period. Bank of Montreal Can owned 0.24% of West Pharmaceutical Services worth $54,339,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of WST. LGT Group Foundation acquired a new position in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $68,854,000. Liontrust Investment Partners LLP acquired a new position in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $64,196,000. Champlain Investment Partners LLC raised its position in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 29.7% in the 3rd quarter. Champlain Investment Partners LLC now owns 444,000 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $133,271,000 after buying an additional 101,710 shares in the last quarter. Sei Investments Co. raised its position in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 12.7% in the 2nd quarter. Sei Investments Co. now owns 401,026 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $132,095,000 after buying an additional 45,208 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Canada Pension Plan Investment Board raised its position in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 25.0% in the 2nd quarter. Canada Pension Plan Investment Board now owns 207,564 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $68,370,000 after buying an additional 41,454 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 93.90% of the company’s stock.

West Pharmaceutical Services Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:WST opened at $323.32 on Thursday. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $307.93 and a 200-day moving average of $313.27. The stock has a market capitalization of $23.41 billion, a PE ratio of 47.97, a PEG ratio of 24.12 and a beta of 1.00. The company has a current ratio of 3.00, a quick ratio of 2.23 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.07. West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. has a 12 month low of $265.00 and a 12 month high of $413.70.

West Pharmaceutical Services (NYSE:WST) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 24th. The medical instruments supplier reported $1.85 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.50 by $0.35. The business had revenue of $746.90 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $709.62 million. West Pharmaceutical Services had a net margin of 17.37% and a return on equity of 18.41%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was down .1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $2.16 EPS. On average, equities research 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 disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, November 20th. Investors of record on Wednesday, November 13th were given a dividend of $0.21 per share. This represents a $0.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.26%. This is a boost from West Pharmaceutical Services’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.20. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, November 13th. West Pharmaceutical Services’s dividend payout ratio is currently 12.46%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, VP Charles Witherspoon sold 703 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, October 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $310.40, for a total transaction of $218,211.20. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 1,253 shares in the company, valued at $388,931.20. This represents 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 hyperlink. 0.53% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

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.