West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST) Shares Purchased by Wellington Management Group LLP

Wellington Management Group LLP boosted its stake in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (NYSE:WST) by 60.5% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 5,837 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock after acquiring an additional 2,201 shares during the quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP’s holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services were worth $2,055,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of WST. Quarry LP lifted its holdings in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services by 155.3% during the fourth quarter. Quarry LP now owns 97 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $34,000 after purchasing an additional 59 shares during the period. Planned Solutions Inc. acquired a new position in shares of West Pharmaceutical Services during the fourth quarter worth about $39,000. Addison Advisors LLC raised its holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services by 28.9% during the fourth quarter. Addison Advisors LLC now owns 183 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $64,000 after purchasing an additional 41 shares in the last quarter. Livforsakringsbolaget Skandia Omsesidigt lifted its position in West Pharmaceutical Services by 90.0% in 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 period. Finally, Lindbrook Capital LLC boosted its holdings in West Pharmaceutical Services by 46.0% in the 4th quarter. Lindbrook Capital LLC now owns 235 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $83,000 after purchasing an additional 74 shares in the last quarter. 93.90% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

West Pharmaceutical Services Stock Performance

Shares of WST stock opened at $324.55 on Tuesday. The company has a current ratio of 2.61, a quick ratio of 1.95 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.03. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $341.78 and a 200-day simple moving average of $360.35. The company has a market cap of $23.64 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 42.82, 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.

West Pharmaceutical Services (NYSE:WST) last released its earnings results on Thursday, April 25th. The medical instruments supplier reported $1.56 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates 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 during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $670.62 million. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $1.98 earnings per share. West Pharmaceutical Services’s quarterly revenue was down 3.0% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities analysts forecast that West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. will post 7.76 EPS for the current year.

West Pharmaceutical Services Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, August 7th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, July 31st will be issued a $0.20 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, July 31st. This represents a $0.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.25%. West Pharmaceutical Services’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 10.55%.

Insider Activity

In related news, SVP Silji Abraham sold 1,800 shares of the company’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 value of $595,404.00. Following the sale, the senior vice president now owns 2,860 shares in the company, valued at approximately $946,030.80. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. In other news, CEO Eric Mark Green sold 66,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, May 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $366.65, for a total transaction of $24,198,900.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 152,908 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $56,063,718.20. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, SVP Silji Abraham sold 1,800 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, June 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $330.78, for a total value 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. Insiders own 0.53% of the company’s stock.

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.