Fiera Capital Corp Purchases 145 Shares of West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST)

Fiera Capital Corp increased its position in West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST) by 0.1% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 124,475 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after acquiring an additional 145 shares during the quarter. Fiera Capital Corp owned about 0.17% of West Pharmaceutical Services worth $37,362,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in WST. Crewe Advisors LLC increased its stake in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 322.7% in the second quarter. Crewe Advisors LLC now owns 93 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $31,000 after purchasing an additional 71 shares in the last quarter. Northwest Investment Counselors LLC purchased a new position in West Pharmaceutical Services in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Quest Partners LLC raised its holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services by 5,633.3% during the 2nd quarter. Quest Partners LLC now owns 172 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $57,000 after acquiring an additional 169 shares during the period. LRI Investments LLC purchased a new stake in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services during the first quarter worth $86,000. Finally, Blue Trust Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 332.1% in the second quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 242 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $80,000 after acquiring an additional 186 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 93.90% of the company’s stock.

West Pharmaceutical Services Price Performance

Shares of NYSE WST opened at $323.90 on Friday. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $303.33 and a 200-day moving average of $317.91. The stock has a market cap of $23.46 billion, a PE ratio of 48.06, 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 quick ratio of 2.23 and a current ratio of 3.00. West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $265.00 and a fifty-two week high of $413.70.

West Pharmaceutical Services (NYSE:WST) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 24th. The medical instruments supplier reported $1.85 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate 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 analysts’ expectations of $709.62 million. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $2.16 earnings per share. The company’s revenue was down .1% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts anticipate that West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. will post 6.66 earnings per share for the current year.

West Pharmaceutical Services Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared 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. This represents a $0.84 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.26%. 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. West Pharmaceutical Services’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 11.87%.

Insider Activity

In related news, VP Charles Witherspoon sold 703 shares of West Pharmaceutical Services stock in a transaction on Tuesday, October 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $310.40, for a total transaction of $218,211.20. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now owns 1,253 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $388,931.20. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Company 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.