Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA Decreases Stock Position in West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST)

Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA decreased its position in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST) by 9.3% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 577,417 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after selling 59,156 shares during the period. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA’s holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services were worth $173,317,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. LGT Group Foundation purchased a new position in West Pharmaceutical Services during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $68,854,000. Liontrust Investment Partners LLP bought a new stake in West Pharmaceutical Services in the second quarter worth $64,196,000. Iron Triangle Partners LP purchased a new stake in West Pharmaceutical Services during the first quarter valued at $47,381,000. Sei Investments Co. lifted its position in West Pharmaceutical Services by 12.7% during the second quarter. Sei Investments Co. now owns 401,026 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $132,095,000 after purchasing an additional 45,208 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Canada Pension Plan Investment Board grew its stake 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 worth $68,370,000 after buying an additional 41,454 shares in the last quarter. 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 firm’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 owns 1,253 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $388,931.20. This trade represents a 35.94 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Company insiders own 0.53% of the company’s stock.

West Pharmaceutical Services Stock Performance

West Pharmaceutical Services stock opened at $316.59 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 2.23, a current ratio of 3.00 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.07. West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. has a twelve month low of $265.00 and a twelve month high of $413.70. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $307.01 and its 200-day moving average price is $314.66. The company has a market cap of $22.93 billion, a PE ratio of 46.97, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 24.24 and a beta of 1.00.

West Pharmaceutical Services (NYSE:WST) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 24th. The medical instruments supplier reported $1.85 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.50 by $0.35. The business had revenue of $746.90 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $709.62 million. West Pharmaceutical Services had a return on equity of 18.41% and a net margin of 17.37%. The company’s quarterly revenue was down .1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $2.16 earnings per share. On average, equities research analysts forecast that West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. will post 6.67 EPS for the current fiscal year.

West Pharmaceutical Services Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed 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. This represents a $0.84 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.27%. This is a positive change from West Pharmaceutical Services’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.20. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, November 13th. West Pharmaceutical Services’s payout ratio is presently 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.