Dynamic Technology Lab Private Ltd Invests $475,000 in West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST)

Dynamic Technology Lab Private Ltd purchased a new stake in West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST) in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm purchased 1,582 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock, valued at approximately $475,000.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Crewe Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 322.7% in 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. Northwest Investment Counselors LLC purchased a new position in West Pharmaceutical Services during the third quarter worth $30,000. Quest Partners LLC increased its position in 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 valued at $57,000 after acquiring an additional 169 shares during the last quarter. LRI Investments LLC purchased a new stake in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in the first quarter valued at $86,000. Finally, Blue Trust Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 332.1% in the 2nd quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 242 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $80,000 after acquiring an additional 186 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 93.90% of the company’s stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related 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 value of $218,211.20. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now directly owns 1,253 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $388,931.20. This represents a 35.94 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. 0.53% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

West Pharmaceutical Services Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:WST opened at $325.44 on Friday. 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. The company has a market capitalization of $23.57 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 48.13, a PEG ratio of 24.42 and a beta of 1.00. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $308.46 and its 200 day moving average is $313.41.

West Pharmaceutical Services (NYSE:WST) last released its earnings results on Thursday, October 24th. The medical instruments supplier reported $1.85 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.50 by $0.35. The business had revenue of $746.90 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $709.62 million. West Pharmaceutical Services had a return on equity of 18.41% and a net margin of 17.37%. The business’s revenue was down .1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $2.16 earnings per share. Research analysts predict that West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. will post 6.67 EPS for the current year.

West Pharmaceutical Services Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, November 20th. Investors of record on Wednesday, November 13th were paid a $0.21 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, November 13th. This represents a $0.84 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.26%. This is a boost 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.