Mizuho Securities USA LLC Purchases 15,559 Shares of West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST)

Mizuho Securities USA LLC raised its holdings in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST) by 277.1% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 21,173 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after buying an additional 15,559 shares during the quarter. Mizuho Securities USA LLC’s holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services were worth $6,355,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Pitcairn Co. grew its holdings in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 3.4% during the first quarter. Pitcairn Co. now owns 875 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $346,000 after purchasing an additional 29 shares in the last quarter. Clearbridge Investments LLC grew its stake in West Pharmaceutical Services by 0.7% in the 1st quarter. Clearbridge Investments LLC now owns 4,495 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $1,779,000 after buying an additional 31 shares in the last quarter. Ballentine Partners LLC increased its holdings in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 4.7% in the 2nd quarter. Ballentine Partners LLC now owns 742 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $244,000 after buying an additional 33 shares during the last quarter. RFG Advisory LLC raised its position in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 2.3% during the 2nd quarter. RFG Advisory LLC now owns 1,499 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $494,000 after buying an additional 34 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Covestor Ltd grew its position in West Pharmaceutical Services by 14.3% in the third quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 320 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $96,000 after acquiring an additional 40 shares in the last quarter. 93.90% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other West Pharmaceutical Services news, VP Charles Witherspoon sold 703 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 completion of the sale, the vice president now owns 1,253 shares in the company, valued at approximately $388,931.20. The trade was a 35.94 % 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. 0.53% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

West Pharmaceutical Services Stock Down 7.0 %

WST opened at $314.49 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 2.23, a current ratio of 3.00 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.07. The business’s fifty day simple moving average is $305.97 and its 200 day simple moving average is $316.18. West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. has a 52 week low of $265.00 and a 52 week high of $413.70. The stock has a market cap of $22.78 billion, a PE ratio of 46.66, a P/E/G ratio of 23.78 and a beta of 1.00.

West Pharmaceutical Services (NYSE:WST) last announced its quarterly earnings data 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 return on equity of 18.41% and a net margin of 17.37%. The company had revenue of $746.90 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $709.62 million. During the same period last year, the firm posted $2.16 EPS. West Pharmaceutical Services’s revenue for the quarter was down .1% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, research analysts expect that West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. will post 6.66 earnings per share 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. Investors of record on Wednesday, November 13th will be issued a dividend of $0.21 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, November 13th. This represents a $0.84 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.27%. 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 currently 12.46%.

West Pharmaceutical Services Company 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.