Paragon Advisors LLC Buys 136 Shares of West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST)

Paragon Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST) by 2.0% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 6,804 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after acquiring an additional 136 shares during the period. Paragon Advisors LLC’s holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services were worth $2,042,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Northwest Investment Counselors LLC bought a new position in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in the third quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Crewe Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 322.7% in the 2nd quarter. Crewe Advisors LLC now owns 93 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $31,000 after purchasing an additional 71 shares during the period. Quest Partners LLC raised its stake in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 5,633.3% in the second quarter. Quest Partners LLC now owns 172 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $57,000 after buying an additional 169 shares during the period. Blue Trust Inc. raised its stake in West Pharmaceutical Services by 332.1% in the 2nd quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 242 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $80,000 after acquiring an additional 186 shares during the period. Finally, Eastern Bank purchased a new stake in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services during the third quarter worth $82,000. 93.90% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Activity at West Pharmaceutical Services

In other news, VP Charles Witherspoon sold 1,029 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, August 19th. The stock was 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 directly owns 1,478 shares in the company, valued at approximately $443,400. This represents a 41.05 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 0.53% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

West Pharmaceutical Services Stock Performance

NYSE WST opened at $314.49 on Friday. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $305.97 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $316.47. West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. has a 1 year low of $265.00 and a 1 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. The stock has a market capitalization of $22.78 billion, a PE ratio of 46.66, a P/E/G ratio of 25.57 and a beta of 1.00.

West Pharmaceutical Services (NYSE:WST) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 24th. The medical instruments supplier reported $1.85 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping 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 firm had revenue of $746.90 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $709.62 million. During the same period last year, the business posted $2.16 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was down .1% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts predict 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 given 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 boost 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 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.