Eagle Asset Management Inc. Sells 173,941 Shares of West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST)

Eagle Asset Management Inc. lessened its position in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST) by 53.1% during the third quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 153,532 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after selling 173,941 shares during the period. Eagle Asset Management Inc. owned approximately 0.21% of West Pharmaceutical Services worth $49,760,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. LGT Group Foundation bought a new position in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in the 2nd quarter worth $68,854,000. Liontrust Investment Partners LLP bought a new position in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in the 2nd quarter worth $64,196,000. Iron Triangle Partners LP bought a new position in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in the 1st quarter worth $47,381,000. Sei Investments Co. increased its holdings in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 12.7% in the 2nd quarter. Sei Investments Co. now owns 401,026 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $132,095,000 after buying an additional 45,208 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Canada Pension Plan Investment Board increased its holdings in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 25.0% in the 2nd quarter. Canada Pension Plan Investment Board now owns 207,564 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $68,370,000 after buying an additional 41,454 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 93.90% of the company’s stock.

West Pharmaceutical Services Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:WST opened at $316.59 on Friday. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $307.01 and its 200-day moving average price is $314.66. The firm has a market capitalization of $22.93 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 46.97, a PEG ratio of 24.24 and a beta of 1.00. West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. has a one year low of $265.00 and a one year high of $413.70. 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 quarterly earnings data 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 net margin of 17.37% and a return on equity of 18.41%. The company had revenue of $746.90 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $709.62 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $2.16 EPS. The firm’s revenue was down .1% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. will post 6.67 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

West Pharmaceutical Services Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, November 20th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, November 13th were paid a $0.21 dividend. This is a boost from West Pharmaceutical Services’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.20. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, November 13th. This represents a $0.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.27%. West Pharmaceutical Services’s dividend payout ratio is 12.46%.

Insider Activity

In related news, VP Charles Witherspoon sold 703 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, October 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $310.40, for a total value of $218,211.20. Following the sale, the vice president now directly owns 1,253 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $388,931.20. This trade represents a 35.94 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. 0.53% of the stock is owned by corporate 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.