Inspire Advisors LLC Purchases 238 Shares of West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST)

Inspire Advisors LLC raised its position in West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST) by 21.3% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 1,358 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after purchasing an additional 238 shares during the period. Inspire Advisors LLC’s holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services were worth $537,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Fidelis Capital Partners LLC bought a new position in West Pharmaceutical Services in the 1st quarter valued at $27,000. Quarry LP grew its position in West Pharmaceutical Services by 155.3% in the fourth quarter. Quarry LP now owns 97 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $34,000 after acquiring an additional 59 shares in the last quarter. Hazlett Burt & Watson Inc. purchased a new position in West Pharmaceutical Services in the first quarter worth $40,000. Northwest Investment Counselors LLC purchased a new position in West Pharmaceutical Services in the first quarter worth $40,000. Finally, Planned Solutions Inc. purchased a new position in West Pharmaceutical Services in the fourth quarter worth $39,000. 93.90% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

West Pharmaceutical Services Price Performance

NYSE:WST traded up $7.25 during midday trading on Tuesday, hitting $327.36. The company had a trading volume of 106,068 shares, compared to its average volume of 530,429. West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. has a 52-week low of $310.00 and a 52-week high of $415.73. The stock’s fifty day moving average price is $332.65 and its 200-day moving average price is $358.03. The company has a market capitalization of $23.84 billion, a PE ratio of 42.23, a P/E/G ratio of 5.70 and a beta of 1.00. The company has a quick ratio of 1.95, a current ratio of 2.61 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.03.

West Pharmaceutical Services (NYSE:WST) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, April 25th. The medical instruments supplier reported $1.56 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.29 by $0.27. West Pharmaceutical Services had a net margin of 19.42% and a return on equity of 20.57%. The company had revenue of $695.40 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $670.62 million. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $1.98 earnings per share. The firm’s quarterly revenue was down 3.0% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, research analysts expect that West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. will post 7.76 earnings per share for the current year.

West Pharmaceutical Services Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, August 7th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, July 31st will be paid a $0.20 dividend. This represents a $0.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.24%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, July 31st. West Pharmaceutical Services’s dividend payout ratio is presently 10.55%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other West Pharmaceutical Services news, SVP Silji Abraham sold 1,800 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, June 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $330.78, for a total value of $595,404.00. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 2,860 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $946,030.80. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. In other West Pharmaceutical Services news, SVP Silji Abraham sold 1,800 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, June 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $330.78, for a total value of $595,404.00. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 2,860 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $946,030.80. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CEO Eric Mark Green sold 66,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $366.65, for a total transaction of $24,198,900.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 152,908 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $56,063,718.20. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.53% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

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.