West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST) Shares Sold by Pittenger & Anderson Inc.

Pittenger & Anderson Inc. decreased its position in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST) by 86.2% during the third quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 409 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after selling 2,547 shares during the quarter. Pittenger & Anderson Inc.’s holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services were worth $123,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in WST. Fidelis Capital Partners LLC acquired a new stake in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services during the 1st quarter worth approximately $27,000. BI Asset Management Fondsmaeglerselskab A S lifted its position in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 68.7% during the 1st quarter. BI Asset Management Fondsmaeglerselskab A S now owns 3,309 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $1,309,000 after buying an additional 1,348 shares in the last quarter. Mediolanum International Funds Ltd purchased a new position in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services during the 1st quarter valued at approximately $2,228,000. Catalina Capital Group LLC purchased a new position in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services during the 1st quarter valued at approximately $208,000. Finally, Brooktree Capital Management lifted its position in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 4.2% during the 1st quarter. Brooktree Capital Management now owns 4,663 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $1,845,000 after buying an additional 187 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 93.90% of the company’s stock.

West Pharmaceutical Services Trading Up 2.8 %

Shares of NYSE:WST opened at $323.46 on Wednesday. West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. has a 1 year low of $265.00 and a 1 year high of $413.70. The firm has a market capitalization of $23.42 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 47.99, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 23.71 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. The business’s 50 day moving average price is $301.90 and its 200-day moving average price is $318.49.

West Pharmaceutical Services (NYSE:WST) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, October 24th. The medical instruments supplier reported $1.85 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates 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 analyst estimates of $709.62 million. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $2.16 EPS. The business’s revenue was down .1% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities research analysts forecast that West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. will post 6.69 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

West Pharmaceutical Services Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, November 20th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, November 13th will be issued a $0.21 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, November 13th. This represents a $0.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.26%. This is a positive change from West Pharmaceutical Services’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.20. West Pharmaceutical Services’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 11.87%.

Insider Buying and Selling at West Pharmaceutical Services

In other West Pharmaceutical Services news, VP Charles Witherspoon sold 703 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, October 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $310.40, for a total value of $218,211.20. Following the transaction, the vice president now owns 1,253 shares in the company, valued at approximately $388,931.20. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. 0.53% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

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.