William Allan Corp Acquires 3,705 Shares of West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST)

William Allan Corp raised its stake in West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST) by 112.4% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 7,000 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after acquiring an additional 3,705 shares during the quarter. William Allan Corp’s holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services were worth $2,101,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Northwest Investment Counselors LLC bought a new position in West Pharmaceutical Services in the 3rd quarter valued at about $30,000. Crewe Advisors LLC boosted its stake 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 valued at $31,000 after purchasing an additional 71 shares during the last quarter. Brooklyn Investment Group bought a new position in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in the 3rd quarter worth about $41,000. Quest Partners LLC increased its holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services by 5,633.3% in the second quarter. Quest Partners LLC now owns 172 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $57,000 after purchasing an additional 169 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Blue Trust Inc. lifted its position in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 332.1% during the 2nd quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 242 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $80,000 after acquiring an additional 186 shares during the period. 93.90% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

West Pharmaceutical Services Stock Performance

Shares of West Pharmaceutical Services stock opened at $323.32 on Friday. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $308.22 and a 200 day simple moving average of $313.34. The firm has a market capitalization of $23.41 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 47.97, a PEG ratio of 24.42 and a beta of 1.00. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.07, a current ratio of 3.00 and a quick ratio of 2.23. West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. has a one year low of $265.00 and a one year high of $413.70.

West Pharmaceutical Services (NYSE:WST) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 24th. The medical instruments supplier reported $1.85 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.50 by $0.35. The business had revenue of $746.90 million during 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%. West Pharmaceutical Services’s quarterly revenue was down .1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $2.16 EPS. On average, research 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. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, November 13th were given a $0.21 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, November 13th. This represents a $0.84 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.26%. This is a positive change from West Pharmaceutical Services’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.20. West Pharmaceutical Services’s payout ratio is 12.46%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other West Pharmaceutical Services 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 transaction of $218,211.20. Following the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 1,253 shares in the company, valued at $388,931.20. This trade represents a 35.94 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Company insiders own 0.53% of the company’s stock.

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.