Dudley & Shanley Inc. Purchases 830 Shares of West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST)

Dudley & Shanley Inc. boosted its position in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST) by 1.4% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 61,886 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after buying an additional 830 shares during the period. West Pharmaceutical Services makes up about 4.1% of Dudley & Shanley Inc.’s portfolio, making the stock its 12th biggest holding. Dudley & Shanley Inc.’s holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services were worth $24,489,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its stake in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 1.2% in the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 9,002,632 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $3,170,007,000 after purchasing an additional 104,740 shares during the last quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. lifted its stake in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 1.3% in the 4th quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 2,105,589 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $741,420,000 after purchasing an additional 28,010 shares during the last quarter. Artisan Partners Limited Partnership lifted its stake in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 23.2% in the 4th quarter. Artisan Partners Limited Partnership now owns 1,961,063 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $690,530,000 after purchasing an additional 369,792 shares during the last quarter. Brown Advisory Inc. raised its holdings in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 8.4% in the fourth quarter. Brown Advisory Inc. now owns 1,414,431 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $498,049,000 after buying an additional 109,369 shares during the period. Finally, Norges Bank purchased a new stake in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services in the fourth quarter worth approximately $300,250,000. 93.90% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insider Transactions at West Pharmaceutical Services

In other West Pharmaceutical Services news, CEO Eric Mark Green sold 66,000 shares of West Pharmaceutical Services stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $366.65, for a total transaction of $24,198,900.00. Following the completion of 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 accessible through this hyperlink. In other West Pharmaceutical Services news, SVP Silji Abraham sold 1,800 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, CEO Eric Mark Green sold 66,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 $56,063,718.20. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 0.53% of the company’s stock.

West Pharmaceutical Services Trading Down 0.5 %

Shares of NYSE WST traded down $1.70 during midday trading on Wednesday, hitting $320.90. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 227,206 shares, compared to its average volume of 535,777. The business’s 50 day moving average is $340.43 and its two-hundred day moving average is $360.10. The firm has a market cap of $23.37 billion, a P/E ratio of 42.22, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 5.82 and a beta of 1.00. West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. has a 12-month low of $310.00 and a 12-month high of $415.73. The company has a current ratio of 2.61, a quick ratio of 1.95 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.03.

West Pharmaceutical Services (NYSE:WST) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 25th. The medical instruments supplier reported $1.56 EPS for the quarter, topping 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 EPS. West Pharmaceutical Services’s quarterly revenue was down 3.0% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities 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 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.25%. West Pharmaceutical Services’s payout ratio is 10.55%.

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.