Stifel Financial Corp Lowers Position in West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST)

Stifel Financial Corp lessened its holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WSTFree Report) by 4.5% during the third quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 41,223 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after selling 1,925 shares during the period. Stifel Financial Corp owned 0.06% of West Pharmaceutical Services worth $12,374,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the business. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC raised its position in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 21.8% in the third 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 worth $205,114,000 after buying an additional 122,361 shares in the last quarter. FMR LLC raised its position in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 199.4% in the third quarter. FMR LLC now owns 595,775 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $178,828,000 after buying an additional 396,780 shares in the last quarter. Kayne Anderson Rudnick Investment Management LLC raised its position in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 6.8% in the second quarter. Kayne Anderson Rudnick Investment Management LLC now owns 593,692 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $195,556,000 after buying an additional 37,702 shares in the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. raised its position in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 1.5% in the third quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 448,184 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $134,527,000 after buying an additional 6,756 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Champlain Investment Partners LLC increased its stake in West Pharmaceutical Services by 29.7% in the third 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 during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 93.90% of the company’s stock.

West Pharmaceutical Services Stock Down 0.4 %

WST opened at $318.04 on Thursday. The stock has a market cap of $23.03 billion, a PE ratio of 47.19, a P/E/G ratio of 24.47 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, Inc. has a 52 week low of $265.00 and a 52 week high of $413.70. The business’s fifty day simple moving average is $311.37 and its 200 day simple moving average is $311.71.

West Pharmaceutical Services (NYSE:WSTGet Free Report) last released its 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 for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $709.62 million. West Pharmaceutical Services had a return on equity of 18.41% and a net margin of 17.37%. The firm’s revenue was down .1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $2.16 earnings per share. As a group, research analysts expect that West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. will post 6.64 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

West Pharmaceutical Services Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, November 20th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, November 13th were paid a dividend of $0.21 per share. 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 dividend yield of 0.26%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, November 13th. West Pharmaceutical Services’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 12.46%.

Insider Activity

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 value of $218,211.20. Following the sale, 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 ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Insiders own 0.53% of the company’s stock.

West Pharmaceutical Services Profile

(Free Report)

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.

Further Reading

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Institutional Ownership by Quarter for West Pharmaceutical Services (NYSE:WST)

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