Metis Global Partners LLC Has $1.87 Million Stock Holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST)

Metis Global Partners LLC raised its stake in West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST) by 8.7% during the 3rd quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor owned 6,219 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after purchasing an additional 500 shares during the quarter. Metis Global Partners LLC’s holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services were worth $1,867,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the company. Tidal Investments LLC increased its stake in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 54.7% during the 1st quarter. Tidal Investments LLC now owns 10,574 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $4,181,000 after purchasing an additional 3,738 shares during the last quarter. Bahl & Gaynor Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 70.1% during the 1st quarter. Bahl & Gaynor Inc. now owns 4,976 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $1,969,000 after acquiring an additional 2,050 shares during the period. Principal Financial Group Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 2.3% during the 3rd quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 91,756 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $27,541,000 after acquiring an additional 2,037 shares during the period. Swedbank AB bought a new position in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services during the 1st quarter worth about $1,937,000. Finally, Cetera Investment Advisers lifted its holdings in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 525.1% during the 1st quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers now owns 18,990 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $7,515,000 after acquiring an additional 15,952 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 93.90% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at West Pharmaceutical Services

In other West Pharmaceutical Services news, VP Charles Witherspoon sold 1,029 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, August 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $300.00, for a total value of $308,700.00. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now owns 1,478 shares in the company, valued at approximately $443,400. This trade represents a 41.05 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 0.53% of the company’s stock.

West Pharmaceutical Services Price Performance

NYSE:WST opened at $314.48 on Friday. The company has a 50-day moving average of $305.97 and a 200-day moving average of $316.47. The company has a market capitalization of $22.77 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 46.66, a PEG ratio of 25.57 and a beta of 1.00. West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. has a 52 week low of $265.00 and a 52 week high of $413.70. 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 (NYSE:WST) last announced its earnings results 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 revenue for the quarter was down .1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $2.16 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. will post 6.66 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

West Pharmaceutical Services Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, November 20th. Investors of record on Wednesday, November 13th will be given a dividend of $0.21 per share. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, November 13th. This represents a $0.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend 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 (DPR) 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.