Entropy Technologies LP Makes New $221,000 Investment in West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST)

Entropy Technologies LP bought a new stake in West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST) in the third quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor bought 737 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock, valued at approximately $221,000.

Several other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the business. Northwest Investment Counselors LLC purchased a new stake in West Pharmaceutical Services during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Crewe Advisors LLC raised its stake in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 322.7% during 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 during the last quarter. Quest Partners LLC lifted its holdings in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 5,633.3% during the second quarter. Quest Partners LLC now owns 172 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $57,000 after purchasing an additional 169 shares during the period. Blue Trust Inc. grew its position 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 buying an additional 186 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Eastern Bank acquired a new position in West Pharmaceutical Services in the 3rd quarter valued at $82,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 93.90% of the company’s stock.

West Pharmaceutical Services Stock Down 7.0 %

WST stock opened at $314.49 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $22.78 billion, a PE ratio of 46.66, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 25.57 and a beta of 1.00. The company has a fifty day moving average of $305.97 and a 200-day moving average of $316.18. 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 one year low of $265.00 and a one year high of $413.70.

West Pharmaceutical Services (NYSE:WST) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 24th. The medical instruments supplier reported $1.85 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 firm had revenue of $746.90 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $709.62 million. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $2.16 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was down .1% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, analysts expect that West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. will post 6.66 EPS for the current year.

West Pharmaceutical Services Increases Dividend

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

Insider Buying and Selling

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

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.