Oppenheimer Asset Management Inc. Decreases Stake in West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST)

Oppenheimer Asset Management Inc. trimmed its position in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST) by 0.9% during the third quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 39,965 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after selling 374 shares during the period. Oppenheimer Asset Management Inc.’s holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services were worth $11,996,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. LGT Group Foundation purchased a new position in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in the 2nd quarter valued at about $68,854,000. Liontrust Investment Partners LLP purchased a new position in West Pharmaceutical Services in the second quarter valued at approximately $64,196,000. Iron Triangle Partners LP acquired a new stake in West Pharmaceutical Services during the first quarter worth approximately $47,381,000. Sei Investments Co. lifted its position in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 12.7% during the 2nd quarter. Sei Investments Co. now owns 401,026 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $132,095,000 after buying an additional 45,208 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Intermede Investment Partners Ltd boosted its holdings in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 20.7% in the 1st quarter. Intermede Investment Partners Ltd now owns 248,073 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $98,165,000 after buying an additional 42,536 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 93.90% of the company’s stock.

Insider Transactions at West Pharmaceutical Services

In related news, VP Charles Witherspoon sold 703 shares of the 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 completion of the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 1,253 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $388,931.20. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this link. Company insiders own 0.53% of the company’s stock.

West Pharmaceutical Services Stock Performance

Shares of WST stock opened at $344.12 on Thursday. 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 1 year low of $265.00 and a 1 year high of $413.70. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $304.87 and its two-hundred day moving average is $316.60. The firm has a market cap of $24.92 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 51.06, a PEG ratio of 24.78 and a beta of 1.00.

West Pharmaceutical Services (NYSE:WST) last issued its quarterly 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. West Pharmaceutical Services had a net margin of 17.37% and a return on equity of 18.41%. The firm had revenue of $746.90 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $709.62 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $2.16 EPS. West Pharmaceutical Services’s quarterly revenue was down .1% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts predict that West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. will post 6.66 earnings per share for the current year.

West Pharmaceutical Services Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced 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 is an increase from West Pharmaceutical Services’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.20. This represents a $0.84 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.24%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, November 13th. West Pharmaceutical Services’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 11.87%.

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.