Daiwa Securities Group Inc. Boosts Stock Holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST)

Daiwa Securities Group Inc. lifted its holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST) by 8.6% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 10,870 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after purchasing an additional 857 shares during the period. Daiwa Securities Group Inc.’s holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services were worth $3,263,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Kennedy Capital Management LLC bought a new stake in West Pharmaceutical Services during the 1st quarter valued at $1,511,000. B. Riley Wealth Advisors Inc. bought a new stake in West Pharmaceutical Services during the first quarter valued at about $211,000. Tidal Investments LLC boosted its position in West Pharmaceutical Services by 54.7% during the first quarter. Tidal Investments LLC now owns 10,574 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $4,181,000 after purchasing an additional 3,738 shares in the last quarter. Plato Investment Management Ltd purchased a new position in West Pharmaceutical Services in the first quarter valued at about $351,000. Finally, Wahed Invest LLC raised its holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services by 15.2% in the first quarter. Wahed Invest LLC now owns 1,454 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $575,000 after purchasing an additional 192 shares in the last quarter. 93.90% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

West Pharmaceutical Services Stock Up 1.2 %

NYSE:WST opened at $323.32 on Thursday. The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $307.93 and its 200-day simple moving average is $313.27. 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 fifty-two week low of $265.00 and a fifty-two week high of $413.70. The stock has a market capitalization of $23.41 billion, a P/E ratio of 47.97, a P/E/G ratio of 24.15 and a beta of 1.00.

West Pharmaceutical Services (NYSE:WST) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 24th. The medical instruments supplier reported $1.85 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate 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 net margin of 17.37% and a return on equity of 18.41%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was down .1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $2.16 earnings per share. On average, equities analysts anticipate that West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. will post 6.67 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

West Pharmaceutical Services Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, November 20th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, November 13th were paid a $0.21 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, November 13th. This is a boost from West Pharmaceutical Services’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.20. This represents a $0.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.26%. West Pharmaceutical Services’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 12.46%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, VP Charles Witherspoon sold 703 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 transaction, the vice president now directly owns 1,253 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $388,931.20. This trade represents a 35.94 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 0.53% of the company’s stock.

West Pharmaceutical Services Company 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.