Congress Asset Management Co. MA Has $129.85 Million Stake in West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST)

Congress Asset Management Co. MA cut its stake in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST) by 0.1% during the first quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 328,132 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after selling 308 shares during the period. Congress Asset Management Co. MA’s holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services were worth $129,845,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Quarry LP increased its holdings 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 buying an additional 59 shares during the last quarter. Planned Solutions Inc. acquired a new position in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services during the 4th quarter valued at about $39,000. Addison Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services by 28.9% in the 4th quarter. Addison Advisors LLC now owns 183 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $64,000 after purchasing an additional 41 shares during the last quarter. Livforsakringsbolaget Skandia Omsesidigt grew its holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services by 90.0% during the fourth quarter. Livforsakringsbolaget Skandia Omsesidigt now owns 190 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $67,000 after purchasing an additional 90 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Kapitalo Investimentos Ltda bought a new position in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $72,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 93.90% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

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

West Pharmaceutical Services Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE WST traded up $4.12 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $332.76. 991,519 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 521,941. West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. has a one year low of $310.00 and a one year high of $415.73. The company’s 50 day moving average is $347.77 and its 200 day moving average is $361.03. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.03, a current ratio of 2.61 and a quick ratio of 1.95. The firm has a market capitalization of $24.24 billion, a P/E ratio of 43.90, a P/E/G ratio of 5.80 and a beta of 1.01.

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

West Pharmaceutical Services Dividend Announcement

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

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.