Kornitzer Capital Management Inc. KS Boosts Stock Position in West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST)

Kornitzer Capital Management Inc. KS lifted its position in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST) by 1.6% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 21,334 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after purchasing an additional 334 shares during the period. Kornitzer Capital Management Inc. KS’s holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services were worth $6,404,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Fidelis Capital Partners LLC purchased a new stake in West Pharmaceutical Services in the first quarter worth about $27,000. Empirical Finance LLC lifted its holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services by 3.7% in the first quarter. Empirical Finance LLC now owns 2,506 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $992,000 after buying an additional 89 shares during the period. Empowered Funds LLC lifted its holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services by 68.1% in the first quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 1,585 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $627,000 after buying an additional 642 shares during the period. SG Americas Securities LLC lifted its holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services by 44.4% in the first quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 12,365 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $4,893,000 after buying an additional 3,802 shares during the period. Finally, Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund lifted its holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services by 139.3% in the first quarter. Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund now owns 17,627 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $6,975,000 after buying an additional 10,261 shares during the period. 93.90% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

West Pharmaceutical Services Stock Performance

Shares of WST opened at $323.30 on Friday. West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. has a one year low of $265.00 and a one year high of $413.70. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $303.12 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $318.26. The firm has a market capitalization of $23.41 billion, a PE ratio of 47.97, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 24.91 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 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates 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 last year, the firm earned $2.16 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was down .1% on a year-over-year basis. On average, analysts anticipate that West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. will post 6.66 EPS for the current fiscal year.

West Pharmaceutical Services Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, November 20th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, November 13th will be paid a dividend of $0.21 per share. This is an increase from West Pharmaceutical Services’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.20. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, November 13th. This represents a $0.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.26%. West Pharmaceutical Services’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 11.87%.

Insider Buying and Selling at West Pharmaceutical Services

In other West Pharmaceutical Services news, VP Charles Witherspoon sold 1,029 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, August 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $300.00, for a total transaction of $308,700.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now owns 1,478 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $443,400. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Insiders own 0.53% of the company’s stock.

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.