West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST) Shares Sold by Oppenheimer & Co. Inc.

Oppenheimer & Co. Inc. decreased its holdings in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST) by 1.2% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 4,247 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after selling 50 shares during the quarter. Oppenheimer & Co. Inc.’s holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services were worth $1,275,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of WST. LGT Group Foundation acquired a new stake in West Pharmaceutical Services during the second quarter worth about $68,854,000. Liontrust Investment Partners LLP acquired a new stake in West Pharmaceutical Services during the second quarter worth about $64,196,000. Iron Triangle Partners LP acquired a new stake in West Pharmaceutical Services during the first quarter worth about $47,381,000. Sei Investments Co. raised its stake in West Pharmaceutical Services by 12.7% during the second quarter. Sei Investments Co. now owns 401,026 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $132,095,000 after acquiring an additional 45,208 shares during the period. Finally, Canada Pension Plan Investment Board raised its stake in West Pharmaceutical Services by 25.0% during the second quarter. Canada Pension Plan Investment Board now owns 207,564 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $68,370,000 after acquiring an additional 41,454 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 93.90% of the company’s stock.

West Pharmaceutical Services Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:WST opened at $307.22 on Tuesday. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $306.08 and its two-hundred day moving average is $315.42. West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. has a 52 week low of $265.00 and a 52 week high of $413.70. The firm has a market capitalization of $22.25 billion, a P/E ratio of 45.58, a PEG ratio of 23.78 and a beta of 1.00. The company has a current ratio of 3.00, a quick ratio of 2.23 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.07.

West Pharmaceutical Services (NYSE:WST) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 24th. The medical instruments supplier reported $1.85 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate 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 for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $709.62 million. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $2.16 earnings per share. West Pharmaceutical Services’s revenue was down .1% compared to the same quarter last year. 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 paid a $0.21 dividend. 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 positive change from West Pharmaceutical Services’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.20. West Pharmaceutical Services’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 12.46%.

Insider Buying and Selling at West Pharmaceutical Services

In other news, VP Charles Witherspoon sold 703 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, October 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $310.40, for a total value of $218,211.20. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 1,253 shares in the company, valued at $388,931.20. This trade represents a 35.94 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. 0.53% of the stock is owned by company 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.