Russell Investments Group Ltd. Sells 91,689 Shares of West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. $WST

Russell Investments Group Ltd. trimmed its holdings in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST) by 33.7% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 180,173 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after selling 91,689 shares during the quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. owned about 0.26% of West Pharmaceutical Services worth $66,844,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in WST. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC grew its holdings in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 90.9% during the first quarter. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC now owns 105 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 50 shares in the last quarter. Avalon Trust Co bought a new position in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in the second quarter worth approximately $28,000. Addison Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in West Pharmaceutical Services in the second quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Fulcrum Asset Management LLP raised its stake in West Pharmaceutical Services by 259.4% in the third quarter. Fulcrum Asset Management LLP now owns 115 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $43,000 after purchasing an additional 83 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Raiffeisen Bank International AG lifted its position in West Pharmaceutical Services by 95.6% during the second quarter. Raiffeisen Bank International AG now owns 133 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $47,000 after purchasing an additional 65 shares during the last quarter. 93.90% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

West Pharmaceutical Services Trading Up 1.2%

NYSE WST traded up $5.04 during trading on Friday, hitting $416.34. 479,107 shares of the company’s stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 766,072. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $380.32 and a two-hundred day moving average of $320.84. West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. has a 12-month low of $223.83 and a 12-month high of $438.27. The firm has a market cap of $29.00 billion, a P/E ratio of 46.73, a PEG ratio of 2.50 and a beta of 1.13. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.07, a current ratio of 2.82 and a quick ratio of 2.10.

West Pharmaceutical Services (NYSE:WST) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 29th. The medical instruments supplier reported $2.66 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.20 by $0.46. West Pharmaceutical Services had a return on equity of 21.78% and a net margin of 18.81%. The firm had revenue of $874.50 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $827.12 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $1.96 earnings per share. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 8.7% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. will post 9.46 EPS for the current year.

West Pharmaceutical Services Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, November 18th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, November 11th will be paid a $0.26 dividend. This is an increase from West Pharmaceutical Services’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.22. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, November 10th. This represents a $1.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.2%. West Pharmaceutical Services’s payout ratio is presently 11.67%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other West Pharmaceutical Services news, VP Annette Favorite sold 8,135 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, September 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $340.81, for a total value of $2,772,489.35. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president owned 16,845 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,740,944.45. The trade was a 32.57% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 15,659 shares of company stock valued at $5,443,749. 0.60% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts have commented on WST shares. Morgan Stanley raised shares of West Pharmaceutical Services from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and boosted their price target for the stock from $365.00 to $400.00 in a research note on Tuesday, September 22nd. Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of West Pharmaceutical Services from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research report on Monday, November 2nd. Wall Street Zen raised shares of West Pharmaceutical Services from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Sunday, November 1st. Zacks Research downgraded shares of West Pharmaceutical Services from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, August 12th. Finally, Evercore restated an “outperform” rating and set a $425.00 price target on shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in a research report on Monday, July 27th. Thirteen research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has given a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $424.67.

About West Pharmaceutical Services

West Pharmaceutical Services designs and manufactures packaging components and delivery systems used by the pharmaceutical, biotechnology, and medical device industries. Its products help contain and administer injectable medicines and include elastomeric components, such as stoppers and seals, as well as syringe components and other packaging and delivery solutions. The company also provides contract manufacturing services for medical devices and pharmaceutical delivery systems. Its customers include companies developing and producing branded, generic, and biologic medicines.