QSV Equity Investors LLC Buys 169 Shares of West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST)

QSV Equity Investors LLC boosted its stake in West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST) by 18.4% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 1,086 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after purchasing an additional 169 shares during the quarter. QSV Equity Investors LLC’s holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services were worth $326,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in WST. FMR LLC boosted its stake in West Pharmaceutical Services by 199.4% in the 3rd quarter. FMR LLC now owns 595,775 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $178,828,000 after purchasing an additional 396,780 shares during the period. LGT Group Foundation purchased a new stake in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in the 2nd quarter valued at about $68,854,000. Liontrust Investment Partners LLP purchased a new stake in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in the 2nd quarter valued at about $64,196,000. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC raised its holdings in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 21.8% in the 3rd quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 683,350 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $205,114,000 after acquiring an additional 122,361 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Champlain Investment Partners LLC raised its holdings in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 29.7% in the 3rd quarter. Champlain Investment Partners LLC now owns 444,000 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $133,271,000 after acquiring an additional 101,710 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 93.90% of the company’s stock.

West Pharmaceutical Services Stock Performance

NYSE:WST opened at $321.08 on Thursday. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $309.37 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $312.17. West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. has a twelve month low of $265.00 and a twelve month high of $413.70. The stock has a market cap of $23.25 billion, a P/E ratio of 47.64, a PEG ratio of 24.42 and a beta of 1.01. 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 (NYSE:WST) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 24th. The medical instruments supplier reported $1.85 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.50 by $0.35. West Pharmaceutical Services had a return on equity of 18.41% and a net margin of 17.37%. The firm had revenue of $746.90 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $709.62 million. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $2.16 EPS. The company’s revenue was down .1% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities analysts predict that West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. will post 6.64 EPS 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 issued 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 boost from West Pharmaceutical Services’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.20. West Pharmaceutical Services’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 12.46%.

Insider Activity at West Pharmaceutical Services

In related news, VP Charles Witherspoon sold 703 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, October 29th. The stock was 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 of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $388,931.20. This trade represents a 35.94 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. 0.53% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

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.