West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST) Shares Bought by Commerce Bank

Commerce Bank raised its position in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST) by 6.1% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 10,902 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after purchasing an additional 622 shares during the quarter. Commerce Bank’s holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services were worth $3,272,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the business. O Shaughnessy Asset Management LLC lifted its holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services by 11.3% in the first quarter. O Shaughnessy Asset Management LLC now owns 2,698 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $1,068,000 after acquiring an additional 273 shares during the period. Advisors Asset Management Inc. increased its position in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 12.9% during the 1st quarter. Advisors Asset Management Inc. now owns 5,639 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $2,231,000 after purchasing an additional 645 shares during the last quarter. Toronto Dominion Bank raised its position in West Pharmaceutical Services by 2.1% in the first quarter. Toronto Dominion Bank now owns 42,275 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $16,729,000 after purchasing an additional 862 shares during the period. LRI Investments LLC acquired a new stake in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services during the first quarter worth about $86,000. Finally, BOKF NA raised its stake in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 4.0% in the first quarter. BOKF NA now owns 3,946 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $1,562,000 after acquiring an additional 152 shares in the last quarter. 93.90% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling at West Pharmaceutical Services

In other West Pharmaceutical Services news, VP Charles Witherspoon sold 703 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, October 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $310.40, for a total value of $218,211.20. Following the sale, the vice president now directly owns 1,253 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $388,931.20. This trade represents a 35.94 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Insiders own 0.53% of the company’s stock.

West Pharmaceutical Services Trading Down 1.3 %

NYSE WST opened at $316.59 on Friday. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $307.01 and a two-hundred day moving average of $314.66. The stock has a market capitalization of $22.93 billion, a PE ratio of 46.97, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 22.97 and a beta of 1.00. West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. has a 52 week low of $265.00 and a 52 week high of $413.70. The company has a quick ratio of 2.23, a current ratio of 3.00 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.07.

West Pharmaceutical Services (NYSE:WST) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 24th. The medical instruments supplier reported $1.85 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping 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 the consensus estimate of $709.62 million. During the same period last year, the firm posted $2.16 EPS. West Pharmaceutical Services’s revenue for the quarter was down .1% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, research analysts expect that West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. will post 6.67 EPS for the current fiscal year.

West Pharmaceutical Services Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, November 20th. Investors of record on Wednesday, November 13th were issued a dividend of $0.21 per share. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, November 13th. This is a boost from West Pharmaceutical Services’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.20. This represents a $0.84 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.27%. West Pharmaceutical Services’s payout ratio 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.