Baron Wealth Management LLC Has $568,000 Stake in West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST)

Baron Wealth Management LLC increased its stake in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST) by 7.5% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 1,891 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after acquiring an additional 132 shares during the period. Baron Wealth Management LLC’s holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services were worth $568,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. LGT Group Foundation bought a new position in West Pharmaceutical Services in the second quarter valued at $68,854,000. Liontrust Investment Partners LLP bought a new position in West Pharmaceutical Services in the second quarter valued at $64,196,000. Iron Triangle Partners LP bought a new position in West Pharmaceutical Services in the first quarter valued at $47,381,000. Sei Investments Co. grew its position in West Pharmaceutical Services by 12.7% in the second quarter. Sei Investments Co. now owns 401,026 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $132,095,000 after purchasing an additional 45,208 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Canada Pension Plan Investment Board grew its position in West Pharmaceutical Services by 25.0% in the second quarter. Canada Pension Plan Investment Board now owns 207,564 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $68,370,000 after purchasing an additional 41,454 shares in the last quarter. 93.90% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity

In other news, VP Charles Witherspoon sold 703 shares of the business’s 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 in the company, valued at approximately $388,931.20. The trade was a 35.94 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 0.53% of the company’s stock.

West Pharmaceutical Services Stock Performance

Shares of WST opened at $307.22 on Tuesday. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $306.08 and a 200-day moving average of $315.42. West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. has a one year low of $265.00 and a one year high of $413.70. The company has a market cap of $22.25 billion, a PE ratio of 45.58, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 23.78 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 (NYSE:WST) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, October 24th. The medical instruments supplier reported $1.85 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.50 by $0.35. West Pharmaceutical Services had a net margin of 17.37% and a return on equity of 18.41%. The business had revenue of $746.90 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $709.62 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $2.16 EPS. West Pharmaceutical Services’s revenue was down .1% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities analysts forecast that West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. will post 6.66 earnings per share for the current year.

West Pharmaceutical Services Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, November 20th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, November 13th will be given a $0.21 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, November 13th. This is a boost from West Pharmaceutical Services’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.20. This represents a $0.84 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.27%. West Pharmaceutical Services’s payout ratio is presently 12.46%.

West Pharmaceutical Services 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.